


Angel's daughter

by Meg_B678



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angels, F/M, Nephilim, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 66,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meg_B678/pseuds/Meg_B678
Summary: Grace is a sixteen year old girl. She lives with her mother, goes to school and has stroppy teenage tantrums like any other girl her age. However when she comes home one day, her mother isn't there and a strange man with black eyes is in her place. What can she do?*I don't own the characters from supernatural*Also this happens round about season 8 and Balthazar and Gabriel are still alive because I love them :D
Relationships: Castiel/Emily
Comments: 18
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

As I got home from school, I wanted to go straight to my room to curl up into a ball and die. I hate it there. This was our third move in three years and every year, I’m the new kid that everybody hates,

“Hey Grace” I rushed past my mother, her quick reflexes snagged my arm before I could make a break for it. She pulled me back in front of her, noticing the bruises, “What happened?” She asked. I couldn’t lie to her. My mother was a human lie detector. Instead I exercised my right to remain silent, “Did you get into another fight?” My lips were sealed but my mum made quick work of my resolve with her intense stare,

“Some boy” I said. Her stare hardened when I withheld information, “He was trashing you because I don’t know who my father was”

“And you hit him?” I paused, “Honey, I got a call from your school, they told me everything”

“Yes I hit him” I admitted, “Can I go to my room now?” My mum finally released my arm and I went straight upstairs. I was fuming now. He told on me? Really? After he caused it. He’s probably gonna be sitting there all smug when we inevitably have to go to the principle’s office for it. I really can’t take that dumb face, I’ll punch it again if he does. I slammed my door closed a lot harder than I realised and it was only then that I realised how angry I actually was. I hate that boy, I hate his friends and I hate that school. My stomach boiled at the thought of having to see that boy again in school tomorrow, “Ugh!!” A wave of anger left me in a frustrated growl through gritted teeth. I heard something smash behind me and I turned to see the lamp on my desk hit against the wall. Did I do that? I don’t remember throwing it. I must say that my anger had calmed, in fact, I was feeling very tired now. I was drained like I’d just been hitting a punching bag. I sighed, getting down on the ground to pick up the pieces. Though initially in shock at what just happened, I was really too tired to think of a logical explanation. I just chalked it up to a ghost or something. I was super pissed; now I’m just tired. I just want to have a normal life and not have to be moving every year. I had dinner with my mum who was definitely annoyed at me as she had to go into school to apologise for the fight. The next morning there she was, walking into school with me. I wasn’t going to give in though. As we sat in the principle’s office, I stood behind my mother as she sat on one seat, the boy’s mother sat on the other chair and he was giving me the stink eye. And I mean ‘eye’ singular. He had a massive black eye that was starting to swell and I couldn’t help but smirk at my handy work.

“You know why I’ve brought both of you in” The principle said, “The school does not tolerate such aggressive behaviour and Mrs Graham wants an apology”

“I totally understand” My mother said, turning to the woman, “And I am extremely sorry for my daughter’s behaviour…”

“I would like to hear it from her” The woman cut my mother off. She was annoyed and I’d get that. I mean, I just savagely attacked her poor dear son in front of his innocent friends, traumatising them all for life,

“Grace” My mother turned to me, giving me a look. I was reluctant until my mother hardened her look. I took a breath,

“I’m sorry” I said,

“Good” The principle was about to go on and talk about something else but I cut in first,

“Since we’re all here, how about you apologise to my mum for calling her a slut” I looked at him sideways with no smile, keeping a very straight face. He tensed up immediately as both women turned to him,

“I- I didn’t- I didn’t say that” His eyes were wide and not very convincing. I looked directly at the principal with a straight face,

“As I recall, the fight occurred after you berated my mother for having sex with a strange man and calling me a mistake” I turned my head to him again. The boy started to shake as all adults looked to him,

“You’re lying” He blurted out,

“Is there anyone who can confirm this?” The headmaster asked me,

“Yes sir, there were several people who heard as he shouted it from across the yard” My mother realised the full extent of the incident now, eyes widened ever so slightly in horror. It’s the most I ever see on her face though her jaw looked like it was about to drop any second. The other woman’s jaw did drop,

“Michael” She breathed out in shock. The boy lowered his head, closing his eyes so he couldn’t see the looks his way. I wanted to smile, I wanted to show my smugness so bad but I couldn’t. His mother found her words again after scrambling for any kind of response, “Oh my gosh, I cannot believe he said that, I’m so sorry” She said to my mother, “I don’t know where he got that from”

“I would like to hear it from him” He lowered his head, completely embarrassed, his face going red and I think I saw tears in his eyes,

“I-I’m sorry” He stammered. My mother gave a warm smile to show it was accepted but her eyes were cold. I knew that look. That’s the ‘we’ll hear about this later’ look. The principle was speechless. Because of this twist, I managed to escape with minimal punishment. Afternoon detention. Quite a good deal considering I could have been facing a suspension. Maybe I should be a lawyer. I walked out smugly with my mother. The best part about it was I knew I’d be punished a whole lot less than what the boy would be. My mother was fine with me. His mother was down right mortified with him. Once out, the other mother whisked her son down the hall, muttering angrily to him the entire way. My mother put her hand on my shoulders and sighed. I saw her smile,

“You are so much like him” She mumbled,

“Like who?” I tilted my head. She looked down at me, another warm smile graced her lips, this time reaching her eyes. She raked a hand through my hair,

“Nobody” She replied, “Head on back to class now, I’ll meet you after” We parted ways from there and I had this stupid smile on my face. School seemed ok today, my day had been made this morning. It was a mix of amusement and exhaustion. Afternoon arrived and I was kept in school for ages. The boy sat in with me but I ignored him the whole time and his obscene gestures. They didn’t really bother me. They bothered the teacher though. Twice he got caught doing it and was told off. I got so bored I just started to draw on my notepad. I wasn’t really focusing on what I was doing at all, just giving the teacher dirty looks every time he looked away. Why should I be punished, that boy started it. When I looked back down at my work, I was not surprised by the weird looking symbols printed in bold writing over my page. My hand was continuing with this weird lettering. I’ve never seen a language like it before or have any idea what symbols I was drawing or what they meant. They looked a little like how an Asian language is written but wrong somehow. I checked and google translate doesn’t recognise it. I just sighed, looking back over all the other pages in my notepad with the same symbols. The bell rang and I stood up quickly, putting my things away,

“Where are you going?” The teacher asked,

“Home?” I tilted my head at him, squinting my eyes, “The bell rang” The boy froze where he stood, having his bag already on and heading towards the door,

“The bell doesn’t dismiss you” The teacher said, “I do. Now sit down” I slowly lowered myself back on the seat, keeping eye contact the whole time. The teacher watched me then turned to the boy and narrowed his eyes, telling him to sit. For once, the boy and I agreed on something. We were going to glare daggers at this teacher until he let us go. I could hear more footsteps rushing down the hallways as students burst out of their classrooms to freedom while the teacher looked away, back at his work. My frustration was starting to boil again. A couple seconds later, he looked up from his work and saw the death glares we gave him. He sighed, both probably amused and maybe a little intimidated at the two sixteen year olds plotting against him, “You may go” I grabbed my bag and burst out the door before he could change his mind. Like always I walked back home, dropping my bag by the door as I went to the kitchen for a drink. I noticed a small note on the fridge, just obscured by the magnet. Curious, I moved the magnet to reveal my mother’s rushed handwriting saying 'RUN'. Though initially confused, I could feel my heart start to beat faster. The lights around me flickered on and I could see salt spilled out on the counter tops in some kind of box. I turned around and there was a strange man standing behind me,

“You must be Grace” Before I could scream, he grabbed me by the neck and shoved me back into the fridge. I tried to rush past him, he was blocking my only exit and he grabbed both my arms, shoving me back into the fridge again, making the contents of it rattle. I grabbed the fruit bowl from the counter and smashed it over the man’s head, it even shattered, dropping assorted fruits on the floor. The man fell and I ran by him. He grabbed my foot and tripped me. I fell to the ground and he got up before me. I pulled my body back, trying to get away from him. My back hit the wall and my legs tucked into my chest. I scrambled for any weapon I could but all I grabbed was an apple. He laughed when he saw me holding it, preparing to throw it,

“Get away from me!” I yelled at him, throwing the fruit at his face. It was a direct hit and actually caught him off guard at how hard I must have thrown it. He stumbled back a little and I crawled away, heading for the door. The lights started to get brighter and brighter. I made it to the front door but when I opened it, there was another guy behind it. He grabbed my arms and pushed me back into the house, practically throwing me to the floor. He smiled widely, excitedly, his eyes seemed to turn completely black. As I screamed, everything glass around me shattered at the same time. The windows, light bulbs, ceramics. I curled up in a ball on the floor, my arms over my head to shield myself from flying debris. I shivered, tears pouring out of my eyes uncontrolled and I really wanted to get out of the house but I was frozen in place. When everything around me was too quiet, I worked up the courage to lift my head. I freaked out even more when I realised I wasn’t in my house anymore. I was in an alley somewhere. I stood up, looking around, “Mum?!” I called out. No answer. I was alone. I slumped back down on the ground, emotions crashing over me as the shock finally wore off. I don’t know how long I was there for but the weather turned and the clouds darkened the streets enough for the streetlights to come on. I stood up as I saw flashing red and blue speed down the streets partly deafening me with its screeches. I rushed to follow as it disappeared around the corner, it was heading back to the house. Did my mum call them? Is she ok? When I got there, people had gathered to see what had happened, stuck behind yellow tape and officers. Looky loos, all of them. I put up my hood to avoid being noticed. My heart dropped as an ambulance showed up on scene, my mouth went dry. They wheeled a body out, head to toe covered in a sheet. I couldn’t tell who it was but my stomach dropped either way. I wanted to cry. Was that…? As the gurney jostled on the rough ground, a hand fell out from under the sheet and in that moment, I knew it wasn’t my mother. Her hands are small and dainty, her nails kept. This was a man’s hand, larger with rougher skin. It must have been one of the attackers but how did he die? Maybe when the windows shattered, the glass could have stabbed him. Either way, I should get out of here. I saw a second body wheeled out. I stayed long enough to discern it was too tall to be my mum. I can do nothing here now and I can’t afford to be caught by police in case they accuse me of the crime. I need to find my mother.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been weeks. I ran through the streets, jumping over fences and diving through crowds, all in an effort to get away. I could hear their footsteps thudding on the ground behind me. At this rate, I’m desperate enough to try anything. My breath was coming out in short bursts and I could not keep this up for much longer. It all came to an end as I reached high walls on all sides, turning back to my pursuers,

“End of the line kid” One said, flashing their eyes black. I know I’m not crazy now. I’ve seen many of them. Almost all of them wear dark suits, men and women. It made them easier to spot in public. I took a huge breath,

“For you maybe” I spat before turning back to the wall and digging my fingers into the worn cement between the bricks, pulling myself up. I managed to grab onto a pipe leading up to the roof, using it as a hand hold while the other grabbed at cracks in the brick and mortar. My legs curled under me, my feet flat to the surface of the wall to stabilise me as I clambered up to the top. As I pulled myself up, I had to take a breath but I could not rest properly until I was out of sight and away from them. Town was easy to get spotted and it was easy to disappear. So many people, so many witnesses but really, that can work to my advantage as well. Only those black eyed people are looking for me, everyone else are just in the way. I can use the crowd to slow them down and use them to hide. No one scans a crowd too thoroughly. After sliding down a pipe on the other side, I went to the crowd again and they hid me well. I watched from the group I’d planted myself in. The dark suits gave them away but they were looking in the wrong places. I walked away calmly, without a care. I got away from town to the more rundown area. An industrial area with nothing more than a few homeless camps and abandoned warehouses. I stay away from the homeless camps, many unsavoury characters lie in wait for an easy target like me. I’m too tired to do more running. I set up camp in an abandoned warehouse, making camp under a large tarp. It wasn’t much, just a blanket to keep warm and my backpack I keep with me. I didn’t need much else. I haven’t eaten for days, my clothes stink too, they’ve become ragged and worn. I slept there that night. The concrete floor of the warehouse was never comfortable and I only ever get a couple hours sleep but it was out of the cold and rain. Another day and still no clues on what happened to my mother, I even snuck into the back of the police station to hear something. That had been a mistake. Turns out the back was where the coroner’s office was and I caught sight of one of the intruders’ dead bodies. No glass punctured him, his skin was clean but his eyes were burned out. There was nothing in the house that could have done that. It seems that man was murdered but by who and what? Did this person have my mother? Did he save us from the intruder? Or is he someone else to fear? More questions and still no answers. It was frustrating. For now, I fell asleep under my blankets. It didn’t take long, my body was weighted with sleep.

I woke up the next morning very early. I haven’t slept well since the attack and it was really showing. I was up at the same time as the sun, able to watch it peek over the horizon. I sighed,

“Another day and no leads” It was as if my mother had vanished, I even went back to the scene every few days for food, nearly running into some cops who had come back to the crime scene. I know my mother left in a hurry, the note indicated that much and half the washing is still on the line in the back. As I walked back to the house this morning to get some things, I noticed two new people. I watched them enter from the corner of the street and snuck up quickly to follow them on the outside of the house. They didn’t wear those dark suits, instead quite colourful flannel and jeans. I don’t trust that though. Some still wear normal clothes to trick me. I had to be sure. They moved through the house, I watched from the windows as they walked through the rooms methodically, scanning it more like the detectives than the ones hunting me. The men were tall. Very tall. One had long brown hair, the other shorter. Both sported stubble. Their eyes were green… for now but I know that can change. As they turned their backs to me I saw guns sticking out the waistband of their jeans. I froze. I should stay away if they’ve got guns. Usually I’m chased after with knives, I can outrun and dodge knives but not bullets. Then one turned their head and spotted me. We held eye contact for a second, I was waiting for those eyes to change but they didn’t,

“Hey” The man took a step to the window and I took off. I didn’t look back but I know they took up chase. They always take up chase. I immediately headed for town, right to where the people are but with more crowds come more black eyed people. They too took up chase and as I was on my way into the alley to try and lose them, I was tackled to the ground, a large weight landing on top of me. I struggled and screamed and scratched but it only made them more excited, lips curving in a tight smile, eyes pure black. They were like demons, revelling in my struggle,

“Now now Grace” The one on top of me said, “The more you struggle the more we’re going to hurt you. You’ve caused us enough trouble already” He seized my wrists but I bit with as much force as I could into his arm, drawing blood and he yelled out in pain. I crawled out from under him and he slapped me across the face as I stood up, “You are going to pay for that” I spat the blood into his eyes and he grabbed my throat, pinning me to the wall, applying more pressure to my throat. I grabbed his wrists, digging my nails deep into his wound to pull his arms away. I heard the sinister click. A gun. I turned and those two men were there, pointing their guns… at the other people hunting me?

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size” The smaller of the two said, eyes trained on his target. Their eyes were still green, not black but they were cold. They were calculated, having figured out how this encounter was going to go,

“Winchesters” One of my hunters said. They all seemed familiar,

“Why don’t you go run back to your boss, leave her”

“You think it will be that easy?” Another took a step towards them, I was thrown to the floor carelessly as all three lunged at the men. I watched the guns be completely discarded in the fight and they were replaced by knives. The men stabbed the three hunting me, killing them with ease. Then just like that, they changed. They turned to me now and I was still on the ground. I probably looked ready to bolt again, I was definitely getting close to. Their shoulders softened, tension fell off their backs and those cold calculating eyes warmed as they fell on me. The taller of the two with the long brown hair got down to my level while the other went about picking up the guns they dropped,

“It’s ok” The taller one said, “We aren’t here to hurt you” I searched his eyes again. They had to be real, no demon could replicate that kind of softness. Despite what I’d just seen, the man had a likeness to a puppy dog, he became as threatening as one too, “Are you Grace?” I slowly nodded my head, “I’m Sam, that’s my brother Dean” He pointed to the other man behind him who stood back, “We’re here to help” I lifted my head up to him,

“How?” I asked,

“We can keep you safe”

“From what? Who are they?”

“We can explain everything but we need to get off the street” I stood up now, still ready to run in the opposite direction,

“I don’t know you, how do I know you’re not just trying to kidnap me too?” Sam looked back at his brother and Dean just shrugged at him as if to say ‘she’s got a point’. Sam sighed, turning back to me and his mouth moved a little though nothing but the start of words came out,

“Well, you uh” He was at a complete loss for words, nothing came to him and Dean stepped forward,

“You don’t have to trust us, you can leave at any time. We just want to get the guy who’s after you and it would help very much if we weren’t worrying about keeping you out of his hands” A new man to study. I could tell Dean was older, he didn’t have the puppy looks that a younger sibling would possess. His face was stoic, it didn’t betray any ill will. He didn’t look like a convincing kidnapper to me and the freckles did seem to make him look less threatening. He stood behind his brother with his arms folded, looking at me. His eyes weren’t cold but they weren’t particularly warm and soft either. They were alert, still calculating, waiting for something else to happen. He was uncomfortable being out in the open. I nodded,

“Ok” The bothers seemed shocked that worked. I followed them back to the house, entering the sealed house, now the seal was cut,

“We’d like to know what happened that day” Sam said, again his brow puckered and his eyes pleaded with me to answer. I looked around. Glass coated the floor like a fine dust and it crunched under my feet,

“My mother was already gone when I got home from school” I said, “As I walked into the kitchen I saw the note on the fridge” Dean handed me the note,

“That one?”

“Yeah” I took it from his hand, looking it over, “When I turned around, there was a man, he attacked me. I crawled away from him”

“What did he look like?”

“John Doe, case 32” The brothers looked at each other then back at me, “No I didn’t put him there, geez, his eyes were burnt out”

“Did you see who did do it?”

“No. I remember seeing the man and I was screaming at him. I smashed a bowl over his head and ran to the door where the second guy was”

“Let me guess, he’s the other John Doe” Dean said with a hint of sarcasm,

“Yeah, he pushes me back in here. Next thing I know everything shatters and I run”

“Where did you run to? No one saw you come out of the house”

“I don’t remember. I just remember suddenly being in an alley, it’s just a blur. When I came back, cops were here and they wheeled the bodies out”

“So where have you been staying now? With a friend?”

“I don’t have any friends” I narrowed my eyes, “I was being hunted, did you think I’d stay in the same place for long?”

“So what were you doing the last few days?”

“Looking for my mother. She’s still missing”

“Do you know why they want you?”

“No idea but they seemed very familiar with me” The brothers gave each other a look. It looked like they were actually believing me. They must have been talking telepathically or something because they hadn’t said a word but it looked like they’d made a decision,

“Hey Grace, Dean here is going to take you some place safe ok?” Sam said,

“What about you?”

“I’m going to go find out what happened to your mum” Dean moved on, leaving Sam in the house. I followed Dean to this classic looking black car. I don’t know cars but it says Chevrolet on the front. Dean got into the driver’s seat and I sat shotgun,

“So where are we going?” I asked,

“We’ll get you into a motel room while we find your mum ok? How about you tell me about you, you been here long?”

“No” I shook my head, “We just moved to this town not long ago, barely enough time to get to know anyone. I don’t know how they know me”

“You just moved here? Where from?”

“Colorado. And before that, Wyoming”

“So you move around a lot”

“Almost every year” I sighed. Dean just nodded,

“Ever know why?”

“Ugh, lots of reasons. Too hot, too cold, too remote, too busy” I rolled my eyes, “Nothing was ever good enough, not like our first home. Since the fire we’ve been constantly moving”

“Fire?”

“Yeah, lightning hit the electric cables heading into our home. All the lights just exploded, sparks everywhere” I sat back, “Just some freak accident but it scared the crap out of my mum. To this day she still hates lightning storms” The car pulled up at some rundown motel. I cringed at the flickering vacancy sign. Dean led me to a room that had a couple beds and some stuff in it, “You stay here?” I asked,

“My brother and I travel a lot. It’s cheaper” I looked over the fading yellow wallpaper that peeled at the corners. The dark blue carpet gave off a stench of mud, alcohol and bleach. One of the beds was made, the other had the duvet bundled up at the bottom of the bed. Dean claimed it when he sat on it, taking out his phone to call someone. I wandered around the room though there wasn’t much to see. There was a couch that I sat on. The table in front of it had bags on top, still packed, the brothers mustn’t have been here long. I felt pretty drained after what happened to me but I kinda didn’t want to fall asleep yet in case something were to happen. I looked up at Dean and he was talking quietly with someone on the phone before hanging up, “That was Sam” He said to me, “We’ve got a lead” It sounded reassuring but I detected a hint of scepticism in his voice. I don’t think he’s expecting to find my mum alive, “You uh, want anything? A water uh, food? We got pie” I shook my head,

“I’m fine” I said. Well, actually I was hungry but I felt awkward asking anything from this man. I still don’t know who he is, I only just met him. He seems like he wants to help but he was still a stranger to me,

“How much sleep have you been getting?”

“Do you want me to answer that honestly?” I asked, putting my head into my hands, rubbing my eyes,

“Take Sammy’s bed, he’ll be a while, you might be able to catch a few minutes” He stood up, “I’m heading out to meet a friend, I’ll be back soon” He took up a pen and paper, scribbling a number down, “If you need me, there’s my number” He said before heading out the door. The room was silent. I went to the bathroom first, washing my face. I had been bothered by the taste of blood in my mouth since the alley. I paced for some time, not really feeling secure to sleep but I was just so tired. I had to. It was the first real bed I had in days, I shouldn’t waste the opportunity. I might get some quality sleep this time. I didn’t go under the covers, I just lay on top of the bed and let myself drift off. I wouldn’t call it sleeping. It was more like passing the time. I was on the verge of sleep. My body felt light, time whizzed by my head and I was still conscious of the room around me though I felt numb to it. I heard the door open and close and I heard Dean continuing a conversation with another set of footsteps. It didn’t sound like Sam, I feel like Sam would talk back more. I went to sit up to see who it was when I realised my body was too heavy. I couldn’t open my eyes. I didn’t like that feeling. If something happened, I was completely incapable of running, “I know you aren’t telling me everything” There was silence from the other person and I could feel a set of eyes on me. My consciousness was fading out but I forced my focus on what was around me, fighting sleep desperately. I couldn’t open my eyes but I could listen, “What’s going on?”

“Why are you here?” The other man asked accusingly. I was right. Not Sam. Sam did not have a voice that deep or gravelly. Compared to these two voices, Sam was like a soprano,

“I could ask you the same thing” Dean sounded angry, “We’re investigating a series of strange deaths. Angel kills and now this girl’s being hunted by demons and her house is covered in broken glass” My consciousness slipped suddenly into sleep and I felt like I was falling into space. I woke up again to the door opening and in walked another person, their footsteps were heavy but crossed the room quickly with very few strides. Whoever just entered was definitely tall, “You’re saying she did that?” Dean continued, I know I’ve missed a chunk of the conversation. I needed to get up,

“If you mean smashing the glass then yes”

“And the demons?” Dean asked,

“No”

“Who’s nephilim is she then?” There was a long sigh from the other man,

“Mine” My head got really light all of a sudden and I wasn’t sure if I was going to fall asleep or wake up but I suddenly jumped awake as my phone rang in my pocket. I got up suddenly, actually falling back off the bed and hitting my head off the bedside table,

“Grace” Sam took a step forward but I didn’t answer him. I was hurriedly pulling out my phone, staring at the caller ID for half a second before answering. I froze as I put my phone to my ear, listening for a second. I heard nothing but breathing. It could just be my paranoia but it didn’t sound like my mum’s breathing,

“Mum?” I listened intently. The other men all perked up on hearing that,

“Guess again Grace” My face got really serious and any hope that my mother was safe was extinguished when I heard that voice. It wasn’t a voice I recognise. This one was lower with an English accent tainting the vowels of his words,

“Who are you?” I asked, “Where’s my mother?” Before I could hear any more, the phone was taken from my hand and put on speaker for the whole room to hear,

“She’s safe and sound for the moment”

“That ain’t an answer, she asked where her mother was?” Dean said,

“I was beginning to wonder what the Winchesters were up to. Hello squirrel” The voice said, “And here I thought this would be easy”

“Come on Crowley, when have we ever made your life easy” Dean’s face turned cold, like in the alley, “Where’s her mother?”

“I have her” Crowley said, “Somewhere quiet. At least for now”

“You’ve made a real bad move going after Grace, you know that?”

“If you’re referring to her being the daughter of Castiel, I’m well aware. Last I heard, he was still healing up after our last encounter, even then, I could always just shoot him again. I’m not an idiot Dean, I’ve planned for you and your band of merry men”

“How did you find them?” The other man asked, his shoulders tense but his face showing little emotion. It was hard to detect concern in such a low voice, maybe I made it up,

“You didn’t think you could hide them forever did you? Your little nephilim is growing Cassie. I’d suggest stronger warding before the angels catch wind of her. Now here’s what’s going to happen. I propose a trade. The nephilim for the mother”

“That’s not going to happen” Dean said,

“I’d like to hear that from her. Grace? You still there?” I cleared my throat,

“Yeah”

“Good. You have two options. Option one, you turn yourself in in exchange for your mother. Option two, I kill your mother and take you from the boys anyway” There was silence as I looked to each of them, “I’ll give you time to decide” He hung up. I looked up at Dean and Sam,

“What do we do?” I asked,

“First of all,  **we** aren’t going to do anything,  **you** are getting somewhere safe, we’ll handle this”

“As if” I raised my voice challenging him. Dean recoiled a little in surprise, “She’s my mother, I’ve been looking for her a lot longer than you have, I am not stopping now” He looked to the other man for support. Sam was staring down at his laptop, not a part of the conversation,

“This is dangerous Grace” The man said, “These people won’t hesitate to harm or kill you”

“Do you not think I know that? I’ve been running from them for days, I haven’t eaten, I’ve hardly slept. Trust me, I know the danger” The eye contact he gave was becoming uncomfortable,

“We won’t let anything happen to your mother, trust us”

“Trust you?” I don’t even know them. They haven’t earned any kind of trust from me. But this man… this man wasn’t budging on his stand. I stared back at this man for the longest time with a challenging stare, “I don’t even know your name or what you do. The only thing you’ve done is kill some people that attacked me. For all I know, you’re trying to kidnap me too” I turned to Dean, “You said I could leave at any time. Well I’m leaving” I stormed out the door, out of the motel. It was dark outside now and I was still tired and hungry. I was far too angry to stop now. I’m heading back to my hideout. The streetlight above me flickered. I didn’t really care until several in a row flickered at once; bad wiring I suppose. Then they all went out. Great. I was plunged into darkness. I could barely see,

“Hello Grace” I looked up at the voice. Though it was dark, I could see the suit. The eyes were too dark to see but I could tell they were black. I took a step away, “A little late for that” I spun round and took off but he grabbed my arm. I turned around in time to see light shine from his eyes and open mouth. His grip weakened as he yelled and he fell to the ground, eyes burned out. He was dead. I looked up and it was that man again. The one with Sam and Dean,

“It was you” I said, “You killed the men in the house” He nodded. I looked back at the body, it looked just like the one in the morgue, “How?”

“Your mother called me that morning, I was too late to get to her, when I got there you’d just gone. I’ve been looking for you for days now” I stared at him wide eyed, “Let us help”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Castiel”

“Castiel” I tested the word. It felt familiar on my tongue, even more so to my ears. “Castiel? My father Castiel?” The man nodded, “Didn’t think mentioning this earlier would have stopped me leaving?”

“Not particularly”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“I hoped I could have when you woke up” The streetlights finally flickered back on, “Shall we get back?” He turned, hands in pockets but looking at me. He walked beside me silently as we made it back to the motel. Sam and Dean were outside loading the car. Dean noticed us first and I caught a smile on his face. I narrowed my eyes at that, I was not in the mood,

“Where are we going?” I mumbled,

“We have a place where Crowley can’t get to you, you’ll be safe there”

“And what about my mother?”

“We’ll find her”

“Alive?” Castiel paused at that, seemingly taken back by my look, “He said he was going to kill her”

“He won’t” He seemed sure of that at least. I didn’t realise before but the car was actually pretty nice. The most I had noticed about it earlier was how low it sat on the pavement, I’d had to take a step up to get out of it. Now seeing it in the night, it glistened, the red vacancy sign of the motel shone off the body of it. It looked pretty nice. Dean drove with Sam riding shotgun. I was sitting in the back with my dad. The boys didn’t talk much at all in the car, neither did my dad. The silence was filled with the radio. Some rock music like Metallica or something, not something I'd typically tune in to but I didn't complain. I rest my head on the window and watched us drive out of town. The car smelled of the same muck and alcohol smell from the motel, no doubt the motel had picked it up from what the brothers tracked in. I didn’t notice when my eyes actually closed and I drifted off before I realised it.


	3. Chapter 3

“You must be Grace” The voice said. How does it know my name? And those eyes. They weren’t normal. I kept seeing its face everywhere I looked,

“Mum?” I called, “Mum!” I was running through the house, up and down the stairs, through every door. I couldn’t find her,

“Run!” Her voice forced me into action.

“Mum” I ran to where I thought I heard the voice but she wasn’t in the kitchen. I heard screaming. My screaming, ringing loudly in my ears, a high pitched sound accompanying it, barely audible over my screams but getting louder and louder until everything shattered and came crashing down.

I sat up in a bed. Not my bed. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep in a car too so I was carried in. The bed was nice, I haven’t had that comfort for weeks now but the room was unfamiliar. I put the light on and squinted before becoming adjusted. I was on my own. For now anyway. I snuck out the room and was met by a lot of unfamiliar corridors. What is this place? I wandered the corridors clueless until they opened up into a large library area with old, well cared for books and a couple tables in the middle. There was a young man sitting at one of those tables surrounded by notes and a stone with strange markings on it. The man had his head down, he wasn’t aware of me at all, I’m pretty sure he’s asleep. I went over to the stone, like a tablet or something. Looks like something that should be in a museum. I went to pick it up to inspect it when I heard a voice, sharp and demanding,

“Don’t. Touch it” My dad. That sounded just like a parent, not like how he was talking earlier. I turned around and he was sitting in another room at a large table with swivel chairs and a huge map. Funny. Normally those words would make me want to touch it more but that look he gave me just made me lose all interest,

“How long have you been parenting?” I asked surprised. He hasn’t used that on me, that’s for sure. He didn’t say anything but I saw his eyes flicker left. I looked in the direction and Dean was there brutally devouring a cherry pie like it was the heart of his enemy. Sam was sitting a couple seats down from him, staring over his computer screen in disgust. I would be disgusted too but I was more impressed on how quickly he downed it. And he didn’t choke on it once. Once he’d finished, he looked up at us now staring at him,

“Could you have eaten that any faster?” I asked,

“No” He said with his mouth full, a bit of pie crust balancing on his bottom lip, “No I cannot” Sam grimaced as the pie dripped from his lips. Cas cleared his throat before turning to the other brother,

“Sam? Do you have anything?”

“Maybe” Sam said, looking back to his computer screen. His face contorted in concentration, “I’ve got a town with all the omens, more demonic possession than usual. It might be where Crowley is hiding”

“Let’s check it out” Dean said, wiping his face with the back of his hand, finally swallowing his mouthful. He got up and leaned forward, staring behind me, “Hey Kevin” He called. The young man behind me shot up,

“Just resting my eyes” He said quickly,

“Relax, we’re heading out. This is Grace, she’s going to be staying here for a while” I looked to the young man. He was so tired, “Grace” I looked back to Dean, “Just make sure Kevin gets some sleep” I smiled a little. Sam closed his laptop and picked it up, both boys heading out, “We’ll call you if we find something” My dad stayed. 

“Hello” Kevin said to me once they’d left. I tilted my head at him too,

“Hi” He reached his hand out,

“I guess you heard, my name is Kevin” I shook it,

“Yep, and I’m Gace” It was another stranger. I was surrounded by them. I felt ok though. Kevin had less energy than a bear in winter and was as threatening as a puppy dog. I looked over his notes with a raised eyebrow,

“So what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to translate this tablet” Kevin said, “It’s not going well. I’ve managed to translate the writing into yet more writing we can’t understand, see?” He pushed a sheet of paper showing the symbols on them. They meant nothing to me so I just gave him a sympathetic look,

“And I thought my high school math was tricky” I said,

“What I wouldn’t give to still be in school right now. I was advanced placement until this”

“What is all this?” I looked around,

“Well, this is an old Men of Letters bunker” Kevin said, “They were kinda like librarians really. There’s records for all kinds of things here. Unfortunately nothing to help me decode this”

“Huh” I sat down on a seat, “That’s cool and all but I was hoping for an explanation of this whole situation” I looked to my dad who was still sitting there. He raised an eyebrow at me, leaning back in his chair, “You guys talk about demons a lot. Like they’re just part of everyday life and I also saw you burn a guy’s eyes out by touching him. And what’s with this nephilim thing, why am I getting called that?”

“A nephilim” Kevin echoed thoughtfully, “Nephilim, nephilim. I know that” He rubbed at his eyes trying to think, drawing circles in his forehead, 

“Geez, when did you last take a break, you’re all burnt out”

“I know” He nodded, “I know what you’re talking about though”

“Also someone called Crowley kidnapped my mother and Sam and Dean both seem to know him. Someone better start telling me something. I will leave, you know that”

“Look, whatever’s happening, I’m sure Sam and Dean have it covered” Kevin stared down at his tablet. His response seemed to anger me. Really? I just sit here until it’s all sorted out? I leaned my hands on the desk, starting to tower over him,

“Kevin” My voice took a sharp, warning edge to it. It wasn’t one I ever used. I was usually on the receiving end of it. It sure felt powerful to use it, “I have been running from people with black eyes and slept in abandoned warehouses for weeks with no answers. I'm dirty, hungry, exhausted. I’m not just going to sit back while things get sorted around me” I narrowed my eyes. Despite being older than me, Kevin seemed a little intimidated, leaning back against his chair. Both of us were sleep deprived, him more than me so the balance of power was shifted more in my direction,

“Grace, leave him alone” I turned my cold gaze to my dad. He pulled a chair out for me next to him. I sat down across from it, still grumpy as hell,

“Well, what is a nephilim?” I asked,

“A nephilim is the offspring of a human and an angel, a being of immense power”

“And I’m one of them?” Dad nodded, “Mum’s not an angel, I know that for sure. So you?” He nodded,

“You saw me smite the demon, that’s why he had no eyes”

“So who is Crowley?”

“He’s the king of hell”

“Literally?”

“Yes. He’s a demon”

“A demon. Demons have my mum” Dad nodded, “You don’t seem very concerned about this”

“He isn’t going to hurt her, she’s his leverage” I nodded, “She prayed to me when she was taken to look after you but you made yourself hard to find. I looked for you since the attack but much like the demons, I couldn't keep up with your tricks. I think you should get some rest now. The bunker is warded against demons, you can sleep easier here” He stood up, I got up too and followed him to a spare room. I didn’t need much convincing. Once there, I was left to go to sleep. The room was pretty big with a bathroom off of it. I went in there first, taking the time to wash my face before going to bed. When I brought my head up from the sink again, I took a good long look at myself in the mirror. My eyes were looking a little dull with tiredness and my skin was sickly pale, probably because I hadn’t eaten. My hair sat at awkward angles, it hadn’t seen a brush in a while. I soothed my hair down, finding a bit of broken glass in it. It was coloured, not something from the windows. Must have been from when I got that bottle thrown at my head when someone thought I was homeless. I finally left the bathroom and got to bed. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up, I was under more familiar sheets. I sat up in my own bed, looking around my own bedroom. Was it all just a dream? A horrible nightmare? I cautiously stood up, wandering down stairs, avoiding all the creaking floorboards just in case. I was on high alert, not trusting anything until I saw my mother. Creeping down the stairs, instead the kitchen looked like a huge fight took place. Anything that could have shattered, was. Crime scene tape littered the ground. I needed to get out of here now,

“Hello Grace” I turned to see a large man in a black trench coat with dark brown hair. His voice had the familiar English accent as on the phone,

“How did I get here?” I asked,

“The question isn’t how did you get here, it’s what should I do with you now” He smiled, his eyes turning completely red.


	4. Chapter 4

I pulled against the ropes cutting off the circulation in my wrists. My feet slamming the ground as I tried to push myself up from the chair,

“Hurry it up. No doubt the Winchesters will be hot on her heels” Crowley said to the other demon, “I need her heart intact” He closed the door shut and I watched the demon in silence turn back to me,

“Too busy to do it himself?” The demon mumbled, “Off on more human blood” He picked up a weird looking blade. I've seen it before when I was chased by them. They all had one. It wasn’t a straight edged blade, there was a raised ridge on one side, sort of like a separate edge altogether. I pulled at the restraints again, flattening myself to the back of the chair as he approached. He's going to kill me. He's going to rip out my heart. I yelled as loud as I could at him but he kept coming closer. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see it. I scratched at the wooden arms of the chair and when I felt a burning in my chest, my legs instinctively shot out, hitting something solid right in front of me, “Dammit” I opened my eyes to let tears escape as my screams got louder. The demon was bent over, holding the knife now covered in blood. I looked down at my chest and saw blood soaking into my denim jacket. I grabbed the wood arms below my hands and shook the chair, trying to break it. Anything, just to get free but nothing worked. I don't want to die. No, I don't want to die. The demon approached again and I kicked out, trying to keep him away. He lunged at me with his blade, I just moved my leg out of the way, “Listen kid. I can make this quick or drag this out”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, I was beginning to notice a high pitched noise accompanying my scream. It grew louder but then stopped as my scream quietened. I had to stop screaming as I ran out of air and the demon looked down at me,

“I can make this really painful for you. Now shut up and sit still and this will be over soon” I narrowed my eyes at him, surprisingly I didn't feel fear. My chest burned in pain and a fire ignited in my stomach. My jaw clenched. He got close again and a voice that I didn't recognise came from my throat. It was so full of hate and spite. I'd been angry before but this was something completely new. The demon plunged his dagger into my chest again and instead of screaming in pain, I growled at him,

“You are dead. You are DEAD!!” The high pitched noise grew louder and I stamped my foot down again before headbutting him while his face was close. He stumbled back again, holding his nose as blood gushed out of it,

“You little bitch” The demon plunged his blade into my leg and I screamed again. This time the window behind me exploded, glass everywhere. I saw a crack climb the wall next to me, breaking up the graffiti that was recently sprayed on it. The door burst open and another demon came in,

“What the hell are you doing?”

“She keeps lashing out” The first grumbled,

“Did you expect her to sit still? Tie down her legs and shut her up before the angels hear her” The second demon shoved a cloth in my mouth while the first tied my legs to the chair. I kicked out, spitting out the gag and clipping the top of his head with my foot. I couldn't keep struggling, they were stronger than me. They tied me down and tied the gag around my head. The demon pulled his blade from my leg and my scream just came out muffled. I had to close my eyes. I had nothing left to defend myself. Not even my screams could be heard. And I screamed a lot. I screamed curses, threats. Nothing sounded clear enough,

“Dad help me” I found myself screaming more and more. The dagger dug deeper into my chest, cutting down to my heart. I was gonna die. Nothing could stop them. Please stop them. I thought the pain was lessening but I realised now I was just getting weaker. Too weak to react to it as much. My hands still grabbed the arms but I'd stopped screaming. I was dying, wasn't I? After what felt like hours, the blade stopped. My head fell forward, limply. Noises. Noises down the hall. Their footsteps moved away, no one was holding my shoulders now. I couldn't hold my head up anymore, my lungs were burning. Everything was burning. I'm so warm. I'm so tired. My jaw relaxed against the gag and for the first time, I realised how hard I was biting down on it. More noises came closer, the two demons went out the door ahead of me to the noises. It sounded like a scuffle but I can't know. I can't open my eyes. The sounds stopped very suddenly or maybe I blacked out. It didn't sound very long for a fight. There was silence. Door creak. The door opened. The gag was pulled down and I heard the ropes being cut from my arms and legs before I was shook,

“Grace” That voice. I know that voice. I forced my eyes open and despite my pain, I smiled. I'm alive. I'm going to get out of here, I'm going to survive,

“Dad” I was so glad to see that face. My eyes closed again,

“Stay awake Grace”

“Did you find mum?”

“If she's here, we'll find her. Can you walk?” I didn't think I had the energy but with a little help up, I could. I remembered very quickly that one leg was stabbed. A yelp left my mouth as I put weight on it and I leaned on the other foot immediately. I forgot my eyes were closed until I felt the trench coat against my forehead and I realised I was leaning against him, “We need to get you out of here”

“Find mum first. We can leave after we find her”

“We'll find her. I'll look for her, Sam and Dean can get you out of here” I just nodded. I want to see my mum but I don't want her to see me like this. I hopped forward, using my dad's arm to stabilise me. We found Sam and Dean up ahead. There were a couple cells down a dark bricked hallway,

“Grace? Are you ok?” Sam came over to me and I used him as my new leaning post,

“What part of me looks ok?” I questioned, still holding my chest. I thought I’d bleed more but I wasn’t. The demons were having such trouble getting past my ribs, they didn’t do as much damage as I thought. Dean and dad went down the hallway, stopping by one door. I stayed with Sam, leaning my head on his shoulder as my energy poured out of me. I could see the cell through half closed eyes. Looking through the barred doors, I spotted my mum. I could see her hands grab the bars and see her face. She looked tired but more relieved if anything. She smiled as she looked at my dad. He grabbed the bars to free her and they lit up with red circles. He jumped slightly, taking his hand off and shaking it,

“Angel warding?” Dean questioned, 

“Yeah” Dad nodded. I hopped forward, prompting Sam to follow me. Dean picked the lock to let my mum out and she immediately went to my dad. She grabbed his collar, pulling him down to kiss him. He froze, clearly not expecting her to. Since he was taller, his head bent down and her hand cupped the back of his head to keep him there. Dean's eyes widened slightly then he turned to us and smiled. I don't know about Sam. I didn't look but I feel like he'd smile and think it was cute. I averted my eyes to Dean, glancing back to see if they were finished. These huge black wings sprout from my dad’s upper back and arched up, the top of the arch reaching the ceiling of the stoned building. I stared at them with open eyes, a little too tired to widen them. Dean noticed and looked around for what I was staring at but I don't think he knew. He couldn't see them. I smiled at the small flutter of wings as they pulled away. My mum's eyes were still on my dad. I don't think she actually noticed us. My dad's face was stoic but he swallowed, his wings shrunk again, spread a little at his sides. One wing curled around my mum and she smiled. She didn't look at it but I feel like she knew it was there. She held his arm but then her smile faded,

“Grace. Is she…?” My dad looked over at me and I straightened up. Suddenly my dying energy was replenished enough to try to look normal. My hurt leg dropped to the ground beside my other but I didn’t put any weight on it and my hand was still on my chest. Mum's eyes widened and she rushed to me, “Grace” Her arms wrapped around me and she pulled me to her, “Oh my baby, I'm so sorry. You'll be alright now. You're alright” I put my arms around her now before burying my face in her hair, letting myself be comforted by her. I shut my eyes, breathing deeply to avoid crying,

“Mum” My voice was muffled but I knew she could understand me, “I was so worried. I didn't know what happened to you”

“Shhh” I felt a kiss on my forehead. She finally pulled away again and noticed I was covered in blood. Her warm smile disappeared and she held my arms, looking over my injuries, “Who did this to you?” Her voice went cold, gaze sharp. I knew not to withhold anything with that tone,

“He said he needed my heart intact”

“Crowley?” Sam asked still beside me. I nodded,

“We should get out of here before any more demons show up” Dean said. I saw my dad stretch his wings around us and within one flap, we were back at the bunker. Once there, my dad's wings folded up and disappeared from my view. Kevin was still in the library, staring at that tablet like it was going to reveal all its secrets at any second. He didn't even notice us arrive. In the light, my injuries were a lot more noticeable and I only realised how much I bled by looking at how covered my mum was. It had soaked through my clothes and onto her. I looked down and realised my jeans were almost all red. I looked up at my mum. I didn't know how to react, what was an actual reaction to this? How do I feel at this moment? Scared. Definitely scared. My pain was pushed to the back of my mind while looking for mum but now I was really feeling it. My knee buckled and I caught myself on the table, slowly lowering myself on a seat. I shivered as my mum took my shoulder, rubbing my arm. My dad came over, putting two fingers on my forehead. I furrowed my eyebrows at him before a warm feeling passed through me. It felt like a warm liquid running down from my head to my injuries, soothing them gently before retreating back through the contact at my forehead. I took a satisfied breath as the pain had stopped. Now for the basic needs I'd been ignoring. Food and sleep. Do I sleep first or eat? I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse but I might fall asleep before anything gets made. I didn't have to decide. My body chose sleep before I could weigh out my options. I didn't want to sleep. I keep waking up in different places, last time was a dangerous place. I didn't want that to repeat. I didn't sleep for long and I woke up where I slept for once. I started to draw, ignoring everyone around me. My mum wasn't there. Kevin was translating the tablet. Sam and Dean talked and my dad was… gone. I had a pencil and was drawing on a blank piece of paper but after a while, my mind started to wander. When that happened, my hand went on autopilot. I thought back to the demons. So angels and demons exist. That means there must be a God and there must be a devil right? I had to wonder what else was real and what actually did Sam and Dean do? They were all too familiar with fighting demons, that’s for sure. And Kevin? Translating a stone tablet? Doesn’t that seem very biblical? Like a modern day Moses with the commandments. I finally looked down at the paper to see those symbols again and just sighed. I still had no idea what they meant or why I drew them. I just got used to ignoring them. That was until Kevin noticed them,

“What is that?” He asked,

“Huh?” I looked up lazily, “Oh I don’t know. I just started drawing them one day”

“Can I see them?” He asked,

“Yeah sure” I said, pushing the page towards him as I began to draw more on another page. Kevin read over them with interest,

“What is it?” Sam asked,

“It’s enochian”

“What’s that?” I asked,

“It’s kind of like angel language” Sam replied, “Makes sense since you’re part angel. What does it say?” Kevin didn’t reply, going over to one of the many shelves in the library and pulling out a huge thick book. He flicked through the pages quickly, falling on one with a lot of writing on one page and a large painting of a crowded sky, stretching as far back as the mountains in the distance filled with winged beings on the other.

“I think it might be a missing link between this language and ours” Kevin said, “It talks about the tablet” He looked over the book he had picked out silently, “The Book of Enoch is a Jewish scripture and it could help us finally solve this. Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and giants, prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah. If anything is going to reference this, it's this book”

“Sounds interesting” I said, only half listening, “Why am I writing it in a language I don’t know?”

“Do you have any other pages like this? Maybe they can offer an explanation” Kevin said,

“Yeah in my school bag in your car” Dean left and came back with the bag. The brothers looked through it, picking out my notebook. Kevin examined pages upon pages of symbols, a look of amazement written all over his face. Sam also looked a little in awe,

“You did all that?” He asked,

“Yeah. It started showing up a few weeks ago, I even found some in one of my essays” I said,

“You ever tried to look it up?” Dean asked, his eyebrow raised and he just looked a bit confused at the writing,

“Look up what? Does google have an enochian feature I don’t know about?” Kevin flicked through my notepad slowly, reading through it wide eyed like some precious scripture,

“The book of Enoch fell into various angels’ hands over the years as it was passed down through the generations. If we can find it now, we might be able to translate this finally” Kevin scanned over one page. This page had actual art on it. I was drawing the enochian as hieroglyphs on the wall behind an archaeologist. The glyphs were lit up by her torch, heavily shaded around it. I was proud of the art and Kevin seemed to understand the words so I clearly used it right, “It's a list of names. Sara, Hadriel, Akobel, Yari, Castiel, Ishmael, Joshua and Kaleb”

“Cas?” Sam asked.

“I think these are angel names” Kevin went on,

“Sure sounds like 'em” Dean nodded. I looked up and saw my dad enter from the kitchen with my mum. As soon as they did, my dad immediately spotted my writing and took a look at the notepad. He flicked through it silently,

“You wrote this?” He asked. I nodded,

“Cas, what have these names got to do with the book of Enoch?” Sam asked,

“We were chosen to watch over the book. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous” He said,

“You know what's in it?” Dean asked,

“No. We just watched over it. We didn't read it”

“Can we see it? It might help us translate this tablet”

“I have no idea where it is. The book of Enoch had been fragmented thousands of years ago, it had been lost from history, along with its last protector, Kaleb” Dad said, “No one’s laid their eyes on the whole text for millennia”

“So why am I writing about it now? In a language I don't even speak” Dad didn't answer. I rubbed my eyes, “I'm too tired for this. I'm going to bed” I stood up slowly since my legs were as weak as the rest of me, “Goodnight” I said back, getting a chorus of ‘goodnight’s as a response. I went to bed. Hopefully this time I’ll wake up in the same bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel walked out into the middle of the crossroads, looking around a little confused. Around him was simply country roads, nothing to identify where he was or why he was here. It was night around him,

“Cas” A sly voice with a light British accent sounded behind him. He turned sharply to see two angels standing there. One he knew as his brother and ally, Balthazar. The other he wasn’t so close to. The presence of this angel made him on edge,

“Balthazar, Malachi” He acknowledged, “You summoned me here?”

“Well, if I called would you have picked up?” Balthazar did all the talking, the other angel stood there silently, glaring at him. Cas was still confused by the setting. Balthazar was calm but something seemed off, it gave him a reason to worry,

“Why did you bring me here?”

“We know about the abomination you created” Malachi finally spoke, his voice was harsh and full of disgust. Cas tensed up now, “You think you could have hidden it forever? Creating a nephilim is forbidden” As Malachi spoke, Balthazar’s face started to fall, regret spreading across his features. Castiel understood now.

“You're here to kill me” Malachi’s knife slid from his sleeve into his hand, he seemed ready to pounce at Cas but Balthazar put his hand up to stop him,

“I’ll do it” He said. He walked over to Castiel, his head down and not giving eye contact. As he reached him, Cas took a step back, his blue eyes looking big as they locked on him. His stoic mask cracked, letting betrayal cloud his face. He shook his head,

“Don't do this” Balthazar finally looked at him again,

“I suppose you won’t tell me where you’ve hidden it” He said. Cas shook his head, “Then I’m sorry Cas” Balthazar grabbed him, stabbing his knife into his stomach. Cas made a surprised gasp at the sharp pain penetrating his abdomen. His breathing caught in his throat as his gaze dropped to his stomach. When Balthazar twisted his knife and pulled it out, it was stained red and Cas dropped to his knees, looking down at his hand that was covered in blood. Balthazar had turned away as Cas lit up in a blinding white light, “Let’s go” He said. The angel left with him, leaving Cas alone and still, two black marks on either side of him in the shape of wings.

I burst awake, breathing erratically, sweat dripping down my forehead. I needed to find my dad. I don't know why but I needed to. The dream felt far too real. I was watching it like some outsider, not through anyone's eyes. I wasn't acknowledged at all. I was in my bed in the bunker but I got up and rushed to the library. No one was there except Kevin but he was passed out again. I was scared. I had to wake him up. He shot up, his head almost hitting me,

“Kevin. Where's my dad?” He squinted at me before registering what I said,

“I don't know, why?”

“It's really important that I find him, are you sure you don't know?”

“He left a while ago, he does that. What's wrong?” I shook my head, sitting down at the table. No, no, no. He can't be gone, he needs to tell me I'm wrong, that it was just a dream. I need to see him alive. I put my head in my hands just shaking my head. Kevin got up and wandered over to me, “Grace, what's wrong? What happened?”

“I don't know, I just… I'll wait up”

“I wouldn't. He can be gone days at a time” I gave Kevin a look and he backed off, “Hey, he'll be fine. He always is”

“I don't know”

“You think different?”

“I had a dream. He was confronted by two angels about having a nephilim and killed. And I know it's just a dream but I've been doing a lot of freaky stuff lately and I really hope that this isn't one of them” Kevin put his hand on my shoulder,

“How about you sleep. I'll wake you up if he comes in okay?” I smiled faintly and nodded. I relaxed in my seat and sat there. I felt Kevin put a blanket over me before I slept again.

“I’m sorry Cas” As Balthazar stabbed Castiel, he quickly turned the blade to the side, pointing away from him. Cas wrapped his hand around the knife so when Balthazar twisted and pulled the blade back again, he slit Castiel’s hand, staining the blade and giving the illusion that Cas was bleeding. Balthazar gave a subtle but knowing smirk as Cas dropped to the ground, showing off the blood on his hand so Malachi would think he was dying. Both angels left and Cas was on his own. He got up, dusted himself off and flew away.

I woke up to a gentle shake on the shoulder. As I looked up, my dad was there, his hand was bandaged up and he had a little blood on his shirt. I looked at Kevin and he was smiling at us. I was so relieved. Enough in fact that I hugged him,

“You’re ok” I sighed, keeping a hold of him in case he was going to leave. He wasn’t. He wrapped his arms around me, waiting until I pulled away before looking me in the eyes,

“What are you doing up?”

“I had a dream” I said, “That an angel called Balthazar had killed you. I got up trying to find you and I couldn’t, I got so worried. I thought you’d died” He put his hand on my shoulder, moving a chair over to sit next to me,

“I’m fine. Balthazar is a friend. He faked my death”

“Is it true?” I asked, I couldn’t look him in the eyes when I asked the question, “Am I an abomination?”

“No” Dad shook his head, “Some angels may see you that way but they are wrong. You’re the most perfect being I’ve seen in all my thousands of years” The bunker door opened and that angel walked in, Balthazar,

“Well, it worked” He said, not noticing me, “They officially think you’re dead. Just stay off the radar for a while, everything should cool down” My dad looked up at the angel,

“Thank you Balthazar” Balthazar’s gaze fell on me,

“This must be my niece, Grace isn’t it?” I nodded,

“You’re my uncle?” I asked,

“Oh, not just any uncle. I’m the fun uncle. Trust me, you hang around Sam and Dean long enough, you’ll need a vacation” I gave a smile, “Aww Cassie, she’s got your smile. I might just pop in every now and then, keep you updated” And with that, he left. Dad pulled me onto my feet,

“You should get to bed” He led me down the hallway back to my room. Now that all was ok and my dad was safe, I felt much better. It was a lot easier to fall asleep. I hadn’t been sleeping well so when I fell asleep today, I slept for ages. I woke up close to midday. My mum was even up before me. I gave her an innocent smile before settling down for something to eat. And eat I did. My stomach growled at how little I had eaten over the past few days. Really nothing. I snuck food from the house while I was searching for clues there but really only high energy stuff to keep me going.

This would become a routine. I guess I should have expected sleeping peacefully after being hunted, kidnapped and tortured by demons in the span of a few days wasn’t going to happen. Waking up covered in sweat and tears was nothing new and I’d deal with it like I dealt with everything else, I didn’t. I ignored it because that works best. I wake up, scared out of my mind, close to tears and I calmed myself down, heading into the library to draw to try and clear my head. Always, it was those symbols. I looked up from my notes when I heard a noise, jumping at it actually even though it wasn’t particularly loud. The presence scared me until I saw my dad. We stared at each other for a couple silent seconds before I pointed to Kevin,

“He’s still up” Though his head was on the table and he was completely passed out. My dad gave a sigh,

“Why aren’t you sleeping? I thought you were tired”

“I’m not” I replied, looking down at my work. I usually liked to give them to Kevin when he woke up, he’d get so excited and his face would light up. I didn’t realise he still had the energy to do that. I even started using it as leverage to make him sleep for four hours. My dad sat next to me,

“You’re a worse liar than me”

“Don’t you burst into flames if you lie?” I asked, still drawing in my notepad. The pencil got plucked out of my hand, “Hey”

“Grace” I turned to my dad and he was leaned forward in his chair at me, eyes scanning me, “What’s wrong?” I thought about trying to lie again but he was looking so closely that one eye twitch would be noticed. I wondered if he could even understand. He’s probably been through something similar, he’s an angel. He’s dealt with demons all the time but he can kill them by touching them. I can’t do that. I can’t fight either; I can only run and hide and try not to get caught. I can put my head down and hope no one notices. My head dropped, looking down at the floor before I even realised it. I looked up at him and he was still there, expecting an answer,

“I can’t sleep” I said. He paused, eyebrows furrowing. Is he confused? Concerned? I have no idea. I don’t know enough about him to know at all what he’s thinking,

“Nightmares?” I nodded. He took my arm, pulling me up to my feet, “Come with me” He led me back down the halls and into the room my mum was sleeping in. I pulled my arm out of his hold,

“I’m not five” I protested,

“You weren’t attacked by demons when you were five” My mum was awake surprisingly. She must have felt dad leave the bed,

“Honey? What’s wrong?” I looked down at my feet now. Not answering her. I let my dad lead me to the bed and as soon as I laid down, my mum’s arms curled around me, pulling me close. God help any creature that tried to pry me from those arms. My dad lay back on his side of the bed, putting his arm around both of us. It was extremely warm between them both but I fell asleep surprisingly quickly. My dreams didn’t change though because I was with my parents. They were just as dark as always; demons hunting me through a maze of streets. These weren’t human but darker creatures with twisted faces and ran with large rabid dogs with glowing red eyes. The hounds got me first and I let out my first cry. The demons caught up, knives ready. Before they got to me, something pushed them all back. A strange yellow light burst behind me and hit them away. I crawled away from the creatures, hiding my head in my legs as I curled up. I felt a warm pair of hands on me and I looked up to see my mum. I was sitting under a tree now, in a park. She smiled, “It’s ok Grace” She said, looking down at my knee where there was a small cut, “It’s only a little scrape” She kissed it then picked me up. I was tiny compared to her and she held me close to her chest. I just hugged her back, not wanting to let any of the bad dream return. I held on hard to this dream, not sure what happened that brought about its occurrence. I opened my eyes and it was still dark in the room. I just reached out to hug the body next to me. Strong arms wrapped around me and a warm kiss was placed on my forehead. A tear left my eye and I just buried my face in his t-shirt. My head tucked under my dad’s chin and he held me until I fell back asleep, this time there were no dreams. My dreamless sleep lasted until the morning.

I woke up in my dad’s arms, my mum had already left to get breakfast. My dad seemed to notice when I woke up and moved his head to look down at me. I realised now that he wasn’t just this angel that smites demons with big feathery wings. He may not know what I’ve felt but it didn’t seem to matter. He just acted like a dad. I’ve never had one of those before. Mum only ever dated once and it was by accident. She thought her boss wanted to talk about business and he got creepy real fast so we moved. It was a good thing too since my relationships with people at school were in dire trouble of stagnating. I blinked my eyes open, yawning,

“How did you sleep?” Dad asked,

“Alright” I yawned again. I looked up and smiled at my dad’s bed head, it all just stuck up on end. I got up and headed to my room to get dressed. One night of relative sleep wasn’t enough to calm my nerves obviously when Dean snuck up behind me,

“Hey Grace” I jumped, spinning round to meet him, “Wow easy” He smirked. I wanted to smack him right now,

“What?”

“Kevin wants to see you in the library if you’re free” I nodded,

“I’ll get changed first”

“Alright, don’t forget breakfast” I nodded again, heading into my room. I got changed and headed into the library where Kevin was awake now,

“Hey Kevin” He jumped, alert. I knew how that felt, “Sorry”

“No, it’s fine”

“What did you want to talk about?” Kevin held up the notebook I had left out last night when my dad took me away,

“I know you don’t know enochian but you’re really starting to scare me” I tilted my head, “I get the feeling that there’s two voices in these, sometimes one will say something and the other corrects them”

“So you’re saying there’s two voices in my head?” Kevin shrugged,

“I get the impression they don’t like each other” I picked up the pencil on the table and sat down across from Kevin, looking down at the symbols before I started writing under them. I just let my hand do it, watching the hand shake and jerk from one line to the next. Finally it started scrawling over and over. I didn’t know enochian but I recognised the reoccurring characters. It freaked me out enough that I threw the pencil down and stepped away from the paper. I looked to Kevin a little worried,

“What was that?” I never had a sudden outburst like that. Kevin read over all the pages,

“An argument” He mumbled, face contorted in concentration, “Two sides lashing out at each other”

“And the last part?” His eyes glossed over it,

“He’s a liar, written over and over again”

“That is several lines of he’s a liar”

“I know” He looked up, “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Why is everyone concerned about whether I have breakfast?”

“Because you need food?” Kevin raised an eyebrow, “I saw you low on food when you arrived, I don’t want to see that side of you again” I smiled and headed over to the kitchen. Turns out, I’m still awfully skittish,

“Hello” Balthazar loudly announced himself behind me. It made me jump twelve feet in the air and the glass broke in my hand splattering me in orange juice, glass and a little bit of blood,

“Ow” I whispered to myself as the glass dug into my hand,

“Woops” Balthazar chuckled to himself, “Here, let me” He plucked the glass from my hand quickly and healed it by barely gliding his hand above my bloody palm.

“You’re alive?” Dean looked over at Balthazar with merely confusion on his face though he hardly looked surprised,

“Please, I’ve faked my death before, you didn’t think I would again?” He looked slightly offended, “Just wanted to let you know, the angels are looking for you two”

“Us? Why?” Sam asked,

“Well, they figured that if anyone is hiding the nephilim it would be you. You two have a record for opposing heaven and you’re good at hiding things from them”

“If they’re looking for us, wouldn’t they be looking for Cas too?” Dean asked,

“Yeah shouldn’t we warn him? I mean, Grace is his daughter” Sam added,

“Oh don’t worry, I already killed him”

“What?” Dean turned sharply from the bacon frying in the pan,

“According to them, he’s dead” I explained. Balthazar leaned forward to look at me,

“Well you look like you had a pleasant night” I just sighed, can’t even think of an answer, “Has anyone actually seen Cas today?”

“He was in our room when I left him” My mother said. Balthazar’s smile widened as he saw my mum,

“My, my. You are beautiful” He said, “I’m Balthazar by the way” He held his hand out,

“Emily” She shook his hand,

“Well Emily, how did Cas end up with someone like you” My mum smiled at that,

“Balthazar” Dad came into the room now,

“Cassie, we need to talk” He put his arm over my dad’s shoulder and led him out, his voice going quieter now. I yawned again in my food,

“I’m going to take a shower” I said quickly and I left to go to my room. Hopefully a shower would help wake me up. As I took off my clothes, I noticed something in the mirror when I turned my back to it. I froze, turning sideways to the mirror and noticing very unnatural bulges in my upper back. I turned my back more, craning my neck to look over my shoulder as I realised the bulges actually went down my back with the faintest colouration of black under the skin. It looked actually like a huge bruise but when I poked it, I didn’t feel any pain. It actually felt quite hard. A bit hard for swelling. In any case, I didn’t appear to have any scars. At least those healed up well. I took my shower, feeling down my back to see if I could make out the outline. It was faint, but it went quite far down my back. It wasn’t sore so I didn’t think I’d need to worry so I finished my shower and got dressed. I’ve been living with the Winchesters for days now in the bunker and I think some portion of them is rubbing off on me. Though I’ve tried to fight it, the jeans and flannel style had slowly taken over my wardrobe. It was just so much easier than picking out a proper outfit. There was nothing to do in the bunker but walk and write more enochian. Night came too slowly, I was so tired. I went to bed, eyes closed and wishing my sleep to not be plagued with nightmares. That was not what I got as I woke up covered in sweat and crying. I sat there a moment, trying to catch my breath. I thought about doing what I did every night, heading out to the library and not thinking about it. I ended up getting out of bed and heading down the hall. I paused by my parents door. I considered knocking, I even stepped towards it. I feel stupid though. I’m sixteen, sixteen year olds don’t go to their parents when they have bad dreams. I sighed, shaking my head, about to walk away when the door opened. My dad didn’t even seem shocked or confused. He smiled actually and backed out of the doorway to let me in. I still felt dumb but I went in anyway. I was far too desperate for sleep and last night I managed to have a good dream and a couple hours of sleep. My mum was still in bed, half asleep and as I slipped in beside her, her arms curled around me again,

“It’s ok Grace” Even half asleep she knew how embarrassing it was. I let myself relax and be comforted by her murmurs. My dad slipped in next to us and put his arm around us again. Again, I fell asleep and I didn’t wake up until the morning. I woke up to my mum and dad talking though my eyes weren’t open, “Where are you going?” My mum asked,

“It’s alright. A brother of mine reached out to me. One that I trust”

“Just be careful and get home safe” I heard a smooch sound,

“I will” I opened my eyes as he was leaving,

“Dad?” My dad turned back and saw me sit up, “Where are you going?”

“I’m meeting up with a brother”

“A brother like Balthazar?” He tilted his head a little, smiling fondly,

“I’d say Balthazar is more like him. I’ll be back later tonight” I smiled and he left. I got up with mum and we went to get breakfast. The bunker has barely any windows so a lot of the time, I’d take walks outside for my daily dose of sunlight. There wasn’t really much to do in there either. There was a town near the bunker. Lebanon. It’s a brave walk. In fact you’d think to drive there first but I preferred to waste my time walking. I walked down the town to the one grocery store. Some older teenagers like to hang out there when their friend is working. They know me by name now when I walk in,

“Hey Grace” One of the older boys greeted me,

“Hey” I nodded to them heading straight to the sweet isle. Sam and Dean tend to survive on pie and alcohol, my addiction is a little less damaging to the liver. As I scanned the treasure trove of sugar I had to be careful what to pick out. I don’t have a lot of money, my mum had recently got a job working in town however I haven’t, so any pocket money I have is dwindling. I could spend hours trying to pick something out but I had to be back before Sam and Dean miss me. There weren’t many people in the shop, really only the usual customers, I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to decide between a chocolate bar or a bag of lollipops,

“Why not just get them both?” Someone asked next to me,

“I can’t afford both” I said, still not really paying attention. That was until I realised I was talking to a stranger. Whoops. I looked up at him. He had a smug look on his face and a lollipop in his mouth. His light brown hair was a little long, not as long as Sam’s though. He had hazel eyes that were looking at me with curiosity. At least they weren’t black. His hands were buried in the pockets of his green jacket as he stood next to me. He wasn’t wearing a suit either. I tilted my head at the man, furrowing my eyebrows at him. Why was he talking to me? He gave a chuckle at my look,

“Waw, that’s so like Cas it’s scary” He said. I felt myself tense up at that. If he knew my dad, it would mean he knew about what I am too. Is he a demon? Angel? Hunter? Monster? These thoughts circled my head and I forgot to keep the fear out of my face. He noticed it immediately and worry crossed his brow, “No, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m Gabriel” He held out his hand for me to shake it, “Castiel is my brother which would make me your uncle. Grace, right?” I put down the sweets and cautiously shook his hand, still unsure about him. It was hard to tell with angels. The majority think I’m an abomination and want to kill me. I was still ready to bolt if I needed to, “I was just on my way to meet with the moose and squirrel now. Thought I’d introduce myself to you”

“You know where they are?” I asked,

“Of course I know about their little clubhouse” He said, “How about we go there now?” He clicked his fingers and we were instantly in the library,

“How did…?” I started,

“I’m an archangel” He said, “I got a lot of tricks up my sleeve” On hearing voices Sam and Dean came in. Sam froze and Dean pulled out his gun,

“What are you doing here?” Dean had a fire in his voice that really scared the crap out of me. I took a step away from Gabriel, the minor level of trust I had in him disappeared at Sam and Dean’s reactions to him. He was unphased and didn’t even seem to care that he had a gun pointing at his head,

“Relax Dean-o, I’m here to help” He said, putting his hands up,

“Help with what?” Sam asked cautiously. Unlike Dean, he hadn’t armed himself,

“You’ve got a problem, well, more specifically Cas has a problem”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s in trouble”

“And how would you know?” Dean asked, still pointing a gun,

“Are you the brother he was meeting up with?” I asked. Gabriel nodded,

“Angels may think Cas is dead but demons don’t”

“Cas can handle himself against a few demons” Dean said, still keeping the gun trained on Gabriel,

“Dean, I trained the kid. I know what he’s capable of but Crowley has unlimited resources. Not even I could defend myself from a demon attack from all sides”

“So Crowley has him?” I asked. Gabriel turned to me,

“Yes” He said before turning back to the boys, “Which is why I need your help. Crowley has the place angel proofed from head to toe” Dean had finally lowered his gun,

“Alright, so where’s he keeping him?”


	6. Chapter 6

I sat at the table and watched them pack up their weapons. They sort of ignored me until Dean picked up the blades sat in front of me. He paused, looking down at them,

“How’d you know?”

“A little thing called research” I lifted an eyebrow,

“Right. Thanks” He put the blades into the bag and the flask of holy water I gave them. I sat back while they prepared to head out. Gabriel came back into the room,

“You guys ready yet? Come on, we’re wasting time” He was getting impatient. I really wanted to help but I know I can’t. Most I can do is help them prepare since, you know, I can’t fight and they’re heading into a building full of demons. In fact it would be utterly reckless for me to join knowing Crowley wants my heart for some reason. I looked at my hands, fidgeting. Why is this so hard to accept? I know why I can’t go, why I shouldn’t go, why I’d be downright suicidal if I went. Didn’t mean I didn’t want to help. Sam seemed to notice my apprehension and got down to my level, holding my shoulders,

“We’ll be back with him soon, don’t worry. I’ve already called your mum, she’ll be over soon and Kevin is around here somewhere”

“Ok” I said. Sam gave me a reassuring smile before all three men left. I watched them drive away, a little anxious. I wanted to help but I didn’t have any skill  **to** help. As I stood there for a while, I heard light footsteps approach. When I turned to Kevin, it was clear that he had heard everything and he also wanted to help somewhat,

“Movie and popcorn?” He asked in an attempt to distract me. I felt a smile pull on the corner of my mouth,

“This is why you're my favourite person” I said. He smiled back and we went back inside to watch whatever movie Kevin picked out.

Sam and Dean stalked through the building, guns pointed, knives drawn. Dean took point, leading Sam along the hallways, looking through each door. Once they saw a wall with graffiti on it, Sam took a marker and crossed it out,

“That’s the last of them” Sam said. Once he had, Gabriel appeared next to him. His smug face was caked in seriousness, he was almost unrecognisable on how he carried himself. He wasn’t the confident, sly archangel. Now he was like Sam and Dean, a soldier and they all fell into a familiar formation, clearing each room before moving on to the next. As demons patrolled the halls, they’d use their knives to silently kill them and drag their lifeless bodies out of sight. As they got closer to Crowley, familiar sounding screams in pain were heard. As they got close, Gabriel's hands shot to his ears barely able to withstand the sound of his younger brother’s cry for help, his pain. Sam paused and looked back as Gabriel recovered and fell back into formation. Sam and Dean ran towards the yells, trying desperately to open the door to save their friend. Gabriel held his head more,

“Stand back” He said, still wincing. He could feel Castiel’s fear and it clouded his mind as he could barely focus on anything. He put his hand to the lock and it glowed red hot. The other hand still held his head. The lock melted off and the door swung open. Sam and Dean burst through the door, taking on the horde of demons behind it. Gabriel went to Cas who was tied down in a chair. He had blood dripping down his face and soaking into his clothes. He barely had the strength to lift his head up. There was a table next to him with more bolts and a vile of a blue glowing substance. Gabriel started to pull out the large metal bolts Crowley had stuck into Cas’ head before pulling him up into a standing position, carrying his whole weight.

“Wait” Cas pulled his head up,

“We’re getting you out of here” Dean came to his other side to help support him,

“Samandriel” Cas’ head fell forward again, he was losing consciousness fast,

“Samandriel. Here?” Gabriel asked. Cas nodded. Gabriel turned to Sam and Dean, scooping up the vile of grace, “Take Cas and this, I’ll look for Samandriel. Meet you back at the hideout”

I woke up sweaty and breathless again. I was still under the blanket but the TV was off and I was alone in my room. Kevin must have left when I fell asleep. My first action was to get up and rush to the library. I sat at the table and drew in my notebook frantically. Over and over, it was the same symbols, same repeated phrase. My mum walked in from the kitchen,

“Hey” She said sitting beside me, “What’s the matter?” I didn't answer. Just wrote over and over until she took the pencil from me and I finally looked up at her, “Did you see something?” I nodded, “Tell me”

“He doesn’t look good mum” I heard my voice breaking up but I didn’t care, “He’s all bloody and he had stuff stuck into his head when they found him”

“But he is found?” I nodded and my mum seemed to relax. Relax? Now? Dad's hurt, badly. She pulled me to her, “He's going to be alright. I've seen him bounce back from incredible injuries”

“How?” I sat up, pulling out of her grip,

“He's an angel. He heals fast. He can only be hurt by those angel blades”

“He sure looked hurt to me”

“He came back to me one day bloodied and half dead. Some angels found out about you and he had to stop them from informing the rest of heaven” My mum said, “I cleaned him up and he was covered in bruises, he was even stabbed” I nodded at her, “He recovered in a couple days. Trust me, I was worried. I'm worried now but he's been through a lot and he's come out of it alive” The door to the bunker swung open and Sam and Dean came in. My dad was still unconscious and being carried down the hall. My mum and I followed them until they got to their room and laid my dad on the bed. My mum wet a towel from the bathroom next to the room and started to wipe away the blood from his face,

“Where’s Gabriel?” I asked,

“He went to find another prisoner Cas said was being held with him”

“Samandriel” I nodded,

“How did you…?” Sam started,

“I fell asleep. Dreamt the whole thing” I explained,

“Anybody home?” I heard a call back from the library again. Sam and Dean ran out, I followed. It was Gabriel. He was carrying another angel in a red and white striped uniform for some fast food place with the name tag, Alfie. He was also unconscious and covered in blood. The Winchesters led Gabriel to another spare bedroom where they started to clean him up too. I just sat down at the library and drew again. The same phrase. Gabriel sat down next to me, “Hey” He gave a smile, I didn't look up but I saw his shadow lean over me, “Grace?” His tone went serious but I kept drawing. I felt like I was looking through the page. I didn't snap out of it until Gabriel stopped me. I looked up from the page and blinked,

“Hi”

“Are you ok? You seemed kind of out of it”

“I'm fine” I replied before looking down at the page. The page was filled top to bottom with this repeating phrase. I turned the page over and there was more. I folded it up and put it aside. Gabriel gave a thoughtful frown. We sat in silence for a while before he clicked his fingers and a bowl of sweets appeared on the table,

“Food for thought?”

“Yes!” I immediately went for it. I hadn’t realised at the time but I was on an all time low, energy wise. Gabriel smirked,

“Quite the sweet tooth too?” He put another lollipop in his mouth. I didn’t answer. I was into the chocolate immediately, “Yup, that comes from the angel side I reckon”

“Angels have sweet tooths?” I asked,

“Well, mostly what food tastes like to angels is just molecules. It takes a real sweet flavour to really overpower the disgusting taste of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen”

“Sounds lovely” I said sarcastically,

“Yeah pretty much”

“Fruit’s not so bad” I heard a stranger’s voice say behind us. I crumpled my paper up and thew it behind me as the young angel Samandriel came to us, “I find the citric acid quite a nice twist” The angel even sounded young. His vessel was hardly more than early twenties. His brown hair was looking a little black, he needed a shower.

“Yeah but fruit is pretty sugary too. I prefer candy. Cas prefers honey”

“Honey sounds pretty good actually” I said leaning back in my chair, “Like, in cereal in the morning”

“I seriously wonder if you’re the same person” Gabriel said,

“Same person?” The young angel tilted his head. It looked adorable. I made a little chuckle at his confusion,

“Samandriel right?” I asked him,

“Yeah” He nodded, taking a seat. He still looked a little beat up and he clearly couldn’t stay standing for long, “And you are?”

“Grace” I nodded. I looked to Gabriel to see if I should say much more,

“She’s your niece” He said,

“A nephilim?” He asked. Unlike most other angels, he reacted in fear. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, how could I possibly scare an angel. I’m only half angel,

“Yeah” I nodded, “You ok? You look like you’re about to faint. I don’t bite, I promise”

“It’s just, I’ve never seen a nephilim before. I’ve only ever heard stories about the amount of power they hold”

“I’d have thought they have less power than an angel since they’re only half” I replied, still with that confused look,

“No, nephilims are much more powerful than angels” Gabriel said, “Because they also possess a human soul. A human soul and angel grace are powerful on their own but together…”

“So that’s why I’m being hunted”

“Yeah” Samandriel's face fell. I turned my head to him,

“What’s wrong?” I asked,

“When Naomi finds out about what happened, she will hunt me too”

“Sammy, all you did was get caught by demons” Gabriel replied,

“No, I've done more than that. When Crowley was torturing me, I revealed things, things I didn't even realise I knew. I couldn't stop it. Naomi will kill me for what I've done” He buried his face in his hands, I'd even have thought he was crying. A firm hand clasped his shoulder and he looked to see my dad there. Most of the blood was washed away but he still had gashes across his face and arms. He stood a little unsteadily, using his other hand to hold on to another chair,

“She won't kill you” He said,

“How do you know?”

“Because you're the youngest” Gabriel said, “You can cute your way out of anything. Besides, she doesn't need to know. As far as she knows, Cas and I are dead, you’re M.I.A. and Balthazar is a loyal little soldier”

“Balthazar?”

“It's a strange arrangement, I agree but it's the best way to keep safe” Dad said. My mum walked in on all of us,

“What are you two doing out of bed, you should be resting” Samandriel jumped at her voice, turning sharply,

“Yeah, you two what are you doing?” Gabriel smirked at them. I gave my own smile as both angels retreated. Samandriel followed his older brother’s example and backed down. Wise choice, I wouldn't have fought my mum either. As Sam walked by, Gabriel nudged me before I saw a large gold feathered wing reach across the table. I gave a chuckle which caused Sam to stop and look at us,

“What?” He asked,

“Nothing” I said. He couldn't see Gabriel's wing as he lightly flicked just behind Sam's ear. He swat there, clearly feeling it, probably thinking it was a fly. Gabriel continued until Sam made a grab for his wing, managing to grab a feather. Gabriel immediately pulled the wing from Sam but not before his feather was plucked,

“Ow” He said quietly, “Ok, deserved that” Sam looked down at the single golden feather in his hand,

“What was that?” He asked. The feather probably had manifested itself once it was detached from the wing,

“You ok?” I asked as he rubbed the sore spot against the table,

“It’s fine, it was a loose one anyway” Gabriel said, “It kinda feels like pulling a hang nail” He leaned back in his chair, disappearing his wings even from me. I found it weird that they do that. Why do they hide their wings from each other? It’s not like humans can see them. Sam had wandered on by now, having shrugged it off as Gabriel trying to rile him up. He must be used to that,

“Will I have wings?” I asked,

“Well, you’re still growing” Gabriel said, “I’m sure you would”

“Cool” I gave a smirk. I was still eating from the bowl of sweets. Despite getting through them very quickly, the bowl kept refilling itself. No doubt it is Gabriel’s doing. I know Balthazar said that he’s the fun uncle but I think Gabriel takes the cake there. I woke up pretty early the next day to Dean swearing. I’d stopped being worried about it after a couple minutes. It’s just became like my alarm clock. Also it’s good breakfast entertainment. I sat there, eating my cereal while Dean was running after Gabriel and Sam was in the middle trying to break up the fight. It was loud enough that even Samandriel and dad got up to investigate it. I looked up at them and smiled as they came into the kitchen, “Morning” I said, “How are you feeling?”

“What happened?” Samandriel asked,

“I think Gabriel painted a baby pink and Dean’s angry about it” I shrugged. There was a lot of shouting going on but not a lot of explaining. My dad sighed,

“Dean calls his car baby. Gabriel must have painted his car”

“Oh, I need to check this out” I said heading over to the garage where the usual black classic car sat. It looked like something Barbie would drive. I kid you not, a cackle came from the back of my throat,

“You think that’s funny?” Dean asked, anger still lacing his voice. I was too amused to care,

“Are you kidding me? This is hilarious” I said,

“I know right?” Gabriel said, also still laughing. My dad just sighed and clicked his fingers, turning the car back to black and the shouting almost immediately ceased. Dean went straight to the car, cooing and apologising to it, promising it that it will be ok. Gabriel and I both looked at my dad with disappointed looks, “Should have changed the car’s physiology. No one to spoil the fun”

“You’ve had your fun” Dad said, “Now I have a headache”


	7. Chapter 7

Sam had been really sick lately and they didn’t tell me why. They wanted to keep me out of their world. Whatever was wrong with him though, it was getting worse, he was coughing up blood. They continued to hunt even with his condition deteriorating. Kevin and I both worried for him. Kevin knew what they were up to but he just wouldn’t tell me and I used all the tricks to try and force him but he seemed adamant. That wouldn’t last for long though. He’s taller than me but I can be scarier. I snuck up on him in the hallway while the boys were on a hunt and my mum was away and pushed him into a corner,

“What’s going on?” I hissed lowly, eyes narrowed on him,

“W-what?” Kevin was taken back, not expecting me to actually act. I’d asked on many occasions and he didn’t answer. I was done trying to be civil,

“You know what they’re up to, now tell me. Why is Sam sick?”

“I don’t know”

“Liar” I grabbed his collar, pinning him to the wall. Kevin put his hands up in surrender,

“I’m telling the truth I don’t know” I tilted my head, raising a sharp eyebrow, “Geez, you’re scary” A smile tugged at my lips. Considering he too had been kidnapped by Crowley that was definitely a compliment. I let go of his clothes and gave him some room to breathe which he took gladly. He took his hands down, “Look, that tablet that I’ve been translating isn’t the only one. The other one I had had instructions on how to seal up hell”

“That’s what they’re doing?”

“Yeah, when they do, all demons on earth will be taken back into hell. It consisted of three trials, Sam has completed the first two”

“Why is he sick?” Kevin sighed, shaking his head,

“I don’t know” The lights turned red and both of us looked up at that. We looked at each other before heading down the corridor into the map room. The lights were on, all the old equipment in the room was lit up. I didn’t even know that that was on. I looked to Kevin,

“Uh, what just happened?” He shrugged,

“I’ll call Dean” There was silence as I watched him try. He furrowed his eyebrows, “Weird. No signal”

“I’ll try outside” I went up the stairs to the big door. I’ve gone through it plenty of times so I know the amount of force needed to open it but it would not open, “Uh, Kevin? Little help?” I pushed at the door, he soon joined me and we exhausted ourselves before we gave up,

“We can’t be stuck” He said, “That’s just…”

“Maybe it’s the bunker on some kind of lockdown. Those machines started lighting up didn’t they?” I got up but the technology looked ancient. It’s a wonder they actually work,

“Don’t just start pressing buttons” Kevin rushed over to me,

“Well what do you suggest?” Both of us ducked as we heard a crash, “What was that?”

“It sounded like it came from outside” Kevin said,

“Is it trying to get in?” The pair of us looked at each other, eyes wide. We immediately ran to get weapons, Kevin took a crossbow on display. I would have sassed him on it but I was too worried about what was outside. I didn’t trust myself with a gun so I just sort of used a knife. I can’t accidentally hurt myself with it unless I drop it. The knife was the one my dad kept under his pillow. I know it’s there because I still sleep in their room. There were more sounds outside, some distant, some close. They sounded like huge crashes, “Sounds like meteors or something” I muttered to Kevin next to me. He nodded,

“That’s what I’m worried about” This went on for a couple hours then it stopped. The lights were still red and the WWII equipment were still lit up like Christmas trees. We stayed in our positions, shielded behind a pillar in the library, we set up chairs for extra cover. I even mapped out our escape if something got in. Nothing ever did. We sat in silence until we could safely say nothing was there. We both relaxed about the same time and looked to each other again,

“Do you think it’ll let us out now?” I asked. Kevin shrugged, “I’m gonna try” I got up from our sheltered position and headed towards the door,

“Grace don’t” Kevin sort of whisper yelled like there was anyone else in the bunker, “Get back here” I had a knife if I needed it. I headed over to the door, knife in front of me but pushing against it warranted the same result. Nothing,

“We’re trapped” I said, “Until Sam and Dean come back from their hunt. Where are they anyway?”

“Trial three” Kevin said,

“Which is?”

“To cure a demon” I sat down on the stairs, putting my head in my hands, shaking my head,

“This cannot be happening right now” Kevin got up, heading towards me,

“It’s going to be fine, they’ll find some way to open it”

“And how long do we have to wait?” I asked, “My mum’s out there still” I looked at my hands, “And dad”

“Listen, we’ll just have to wait a couple days until they notice. They like to check in, maybe they’ll notice when they can’t reach us and get back early”

“Kevin, I still can’t sleep” Kevin scanned my face for a second,

“You look well rested to me”

“That’s because-” I bit my tongue. I didn’t actually want to tell him. It was embarrassing. What kind of teenager sleeps in their parents’ bed? I looked away,

“What?” He leaned forward to try and catch my eye, I turned my head away from him,

“Forget it”

“Grace”

“I said forget it” I hissed at him. He recoiled a little at that. I probably shouldn’t have done that, he’d find out eventually if we get stuck together for a few days,

“How about we move pillows and blankets out into the library, that way we can watch the door for if anyone comes in. We can have a watch through the night” I sighed and nodded,

“Sure, let’s do that” I got up and so did Kevin, we headed to our rooms and got our stuff, I also went to the kitchen to get food since we’ll likely be there a while. Two days. We were there for two days. I barely slept, I didn’t eat. Kevin didn’t either, we just watched that door mostly in silence. We heard the first sound in two days outside that door, Kevin took aim, I got my knife out. The lights turned back to normal as the door swung open. We both had got used to the red lights and squinted at the brightness. As soon as there was movement, Kevin shot. Lucky for us, he missed since it was Dean he shot at.

“Dean! You’re alive!”

“Yeah because you missed” He pulled the bolt out from the railing. We had to scramble to explain what happened with the bunker then Dean calmly explained what happened outside the bunker. It was a meteor shower. The bunker locked up because all the angels were ejected from heaven. When they opened the door from the outside, the system reset itself but we couldn’t be relieved to be released just yet. All the angels had fallen and were now on earth. Fallen? My uncles, Balthazar, Gabriel, the ones who didn’t want to kill me. What if they got hurt? And my dad! He had disappeared completely, not to be heard from again for a long while.

I had such trouble sleeping and so did my mum, too worried for him. I woke up shaking one night, sweating. My eyes were wide, scanning everything with a strange sort of alert energy. My door opened and my mum walked in, dishevelled and sleepy. She looked at me, scanning my face and knew why. Without saying anything she slipped into the bed and curled her arms around me, one hand stroked my hair,

“Try to get some sleep” She whispered. I took a breath, relaxing in her grip. Every time I slept with her, her grip was always the same. It was always relaxed but firm, enough room for me to turn and get comfortable but strong enough that nothing could pry me from her without her waking up. Her warmth was the same too, always present and seeped into my every bone, relaxing every muscle it touched until I was loose enough to sleep comfortably. I turned to face her and hugged her back. I knew she needed the comfort too, we hadn’t heard much from dad, only that he called the Winchesters on the day of the fall and they told him to head here. I had the odd dream about him. I didn’t tell mum about them though since they weren’t very encouraging. In fact he wasn’t acting much like an angel at all, he had scabs on his cheeks, he’d be looking for basic human needs that he didn’t need; food, water, a place to sleep. I just hugged mum back, rubbing her back,

“He’ll be ok mum” I mumbled, hoping she’d believe me since I didn’t believe in my own words,

“I know honey” I smiled as I felt her grip relax again. In the morning, she’d woken up before me to go to work. I walked into the library to see the Winchesters out with a map. They had drawn three circles on it, each one bigger than the last, all centred around a dot in the middle,

“This is where Cas called from on Tuesday” Sam and Dean hadn’t noticed me standing there, “Each circle is how far he could have gotten one, two and three days out” I scanned the map from a distance, there had to be something he’d do, a place he’d go. I was worried sick. My dreams were far too vague and I was too worried with the state of him to take in the finer details. I saw him at a shelter trying to brush his teeth, going to the bathroom just like anyone else. He appeared to have healing scabs across his cheek. That’s what worried me the most. They had been there through many dreams. He wasn’t healing at the rate he usually heals. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on what I saw last night. I needed a place name, something I could give the Winchesters. I hardly realised when I opened them again and when I realised, I’d already trailed my hand over the map. I came back to my trail of thought and the Winchesters just took notice of me,

“Grace?” Sam asked, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me with concern. I looked down and my hand had stopped at a particular place I saw the church symbol on the map and I knew it had to be right. The shelter was run by a church. I looked up at Sam and watched his eyes look over the location, “Have you been having dreams again?”

“Every night” I said,

“So you know?” Dean leaned towards me,

“That he’s human? Yeah” I looked up at him, “I haven’t told my mum yet. She’s worried enough as it is”

“How is he?”

“He’s confused. He’s trying to adapt. His cheek is all scratched up from the car accident”

“He was in a car accident?” Dean asked,

“I saw him with an angel. She had knocked him out and was taking him somewhere in the car. He crashed it to escape her”

“Well what else have you been seeing?” Dean pulled a chair out for me to sit down. Him and Sam stood on either side of me. I looked over the map,

“He got some new clothes at a laundromat” I couldn’t find any in the vicinity, he must have walked for some distance before getting to where he is now, “I saw him spend a night in a church” I said, “That’s where the priest found him and offered him a place at their shelter” I pointed to the map, “There. The people at the shelter work to earn their stay” I paused and took a breath. It seemed to unnerve the Winchesters, “I had another dream last night” The two men seemed to recoil at my change in tone, “He was working, found a blood trail which led into the graveyard. Two priests were murdered” I shuddered at the thought of their bodies. Their eyes were burned out and they were impaled on spikes. My dad had run from the scene. Those were angel kills, likely looking for him. What kind of angels murdered priests like that. Not only murdered, tortured and strung up as a message to my dad. Sam didn’t push for more info, probably got the idea from the look on my face that it was bad. Instead, he looked it up and saw the article about it. The pair read it quickly before deciding to take a trip out there. “I can help” I mumbled quietly,

“No” Dean shot it down immediately,

“But I know where he’s been. I could help you follow his trail”

“Grace, as far as we know, the angels are still looking for you and now all of them are on earth. This ain’t the time to be taking a field trip”

“I don’t know Dean” Sam said, “I mean, she’s got a point”

“We can’t take her out there, it’s too dangerous”

“We can’t keep her locked in here the whole time either. Being on scene might help her remember her dreams” Dean gave a look to Sam before turning to me,

“Alright but you stick with us and if you see another angel, you zap your ass back here ok?”

“Fine” I said. I held my cool as he exited the library then I looked to Sam, “Thank you” I whispered with a smile. I decided not to tell Dean that I can’t control where I zap and it’s usually fairly small distances. He gave a smile then followed Dean to the car. I did the same after leaving a note for mum in case this takes too long. I also took the blade since I know it works on angels and demons. I may not know how to fight but I can still have some form of protection. I hid it in my sleeve since nothing else was actually long enough to hide it in, it’s a long blade. We were back in that car Dean treats like royalty. I’ll admit it’s a nice car, pretty good condition considering the amount of driving they do. Sam sat in the passenger seat and I sat in the back,

“It’s a long drive” Dean said to me, “So feel free to sleep. Maybe get some more dreams, see where Cas went”

“I can’t control when I have the dreams. They just happen” I rolled my eyes. Dean drove out of the garage and I had to wince a little as the sunlight hit my eyes, it took some time to adjust. Dean was right, it was a long car ride and there was something about this car’s engine. The purr just seemed to invite sleep, it was the perfect lull. I rest my head on the window and my eyes started to close.

Castiel was sitting at a homeless camp. He was eating with some other guy,

“Thank you. I was so hungry, it’s very kind of you to share”

“It’s ok” The man said,

“You know, I’m finding that often, the people with the least to give are the most generous” He was saying. The man gave a smile at that, “I need to plan better. I ran out of food very quickly today”

“You’re new at this aren’t you” Cas nodded

“Hunger, thirst, cold, it’s all a new experience for me. And now it’s occurred to me, that one day I’m going to die” There was a quiet between the men until Castiel put his food down, “Well, I’m going to try falling asleep. It’s quite a process isn’t it”

“Try counting sheep” The man said. Cas nodded,

“Thanks once again” He got up and started walking towards a broken, abandoned bus under the bridge. Once alone, he took off his hoodie and used it as a pillow as he rest his head against the window, he used his other jacket as a blanket. He sat awake for a while, “What sheep?” He asked himself. He closed his eyes and his body started to relax. Tiredness was just starting to dampen his ever alert senses when he became aware of another presence. He lifted his head and looked out the window. He could have sworn there was someone there. He scanned the area outside before getting up and walking to the bus’ exit, his knife slipping into his hand. He looked out but there was nothing there. He was about to relax and turn back when he was attacked. His attacker slit his arm. He turned away, holding it as blood quickly poured from the wound. However the angel blade didn’t seem to damage anything below his vessel. The angel was shocked,

“You’re human?” He asked. Cas reached back and stabbed the angel with his blade. The angel’s grace burnt up inside the vessel in an explosion of light.

I shot up, looking about alertly,

“Good, you’re awake” Sam and Dean weren’t in front of me. They were outside of the car. It had been parked and they were in suits with their fake FBI badges, “Recognise anyone? Anyone we should talk to?” I looked about before landing on a familiar face,

“Him” I pointed him out,

“You sure?” Sam asked,

“If anyone would know where he went, it would be him. Ask for Clarence”

“Clarence?” Sam asked, Dean smirked, “Isn’t that what Meg used to call him?”

“Meg?” I asked,

“She’s a demon, sort of an enemy of my enemy situation though we haven’t seen her since” Dean said, “Sounds like he’s getting cagey. Using a fake name. I’ll do the talking” Dean wandered over. I got out to stretch my legs but just leaned against the car. They weren’t too far away that I could hear them. Sam stayed with me. My arm felt cramped but I couldn’t move it or the blade would poke my arm,

“What is it bring your daughter to work day?” The man made a joke, nodding to me. I lifted my chin at him, staring back with knitted eyebrows,

“We’re looking for a man. About six foot, dark hair, goes by the name Clarence”

“Clarence? Yeah, I knew him. He left yesterday. He’s not in some kind of trouble is he?”

“You tell me” Dean said,

“Look, he found the bodies but he wasn’t there for more than ten seconds before he left”

“Did he say which way he was headed?” The man shook his head,

“Just said he needed to keep going” The man looked over me. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Dean asked his questions and we went back to the car, “Did you see anything else?” Dean looked at me through the rear view mirror,

“A homeless camp. Under a bridge. Sam, could you look for some suspicious death?”

“What kind?”

“Angel” Dean didn't say anything but I saw his look in the mirror. He was worried while Sam got his laptop out. It took some time before he finally said a place name,

“It’s about a day’s travel east of here”

“Where’s that, Indiana?”

“Yeah, body was found at a homeless camp, insides barbecued, the whole nine”

“Homeless guy”

“No, a pharmacist from Dayton” Dean started up the car and drove on. I was alert, I needed to find my dad, especially now that he’s hurt. The drive was silent and tense. Dean didn’t even play his music, it was like he could feel my anxiety rolling off of me. The drive took far too long for my liking. They arrived at the police station in town. As smart as it might have been to check the body for anything that could help us stop the other angels, I just wanted to keep moving. I stayed by the car, alert as always while Sam and Dean went in. They figured it wouldn’t look as suspicious walking in alone than with a young teenager. I couldn’t sit still in the car though. These dreams had me on edge, we were so close, I know it. I could feel him near. Then suddenly, I didn’t. It was like there was tension on my shoulders and it just dropped off. He was gone. I didn’t have this huge weight on my chest now, I was less restless but I couldn’t feel my dad anywhere now. Where did he go? During this time, Sam and Dean walked out, “Well, we know how the angels are getting their vessels” Dean said. I tilted my head at him, not really part of that world. I didn’t get it,

“An angel needs to possess someone to come to earth. That person has to give them permission but this guy, Boyle has some religious podcast telling them all to say yes” Sam explained,

“How about you? Anything new on Cas?” I shook my head,

“Nothing. It’s strange. One minute he’s there and now, nothing. I can’t even sense him anymore” Sam and Dean looked at each other, “What?” I asked, tone a little sharper than I’d like. I can’t help it when they share a look like that,

“Well it’s just… there’s probably a reason for that” Sam said sensitively, “He could have warded himself or…” I got the idea,

“He’s probably warded himself in some way. I’m sure he’s fine” Dean replied,

“I hope so”

“So this homeless camp. Any idea where it is?” Of course I knew. I got in the car without a word. Sam and Dean both followed me as I directed them down the same streets I saw my dad take. Once there, I looked around before finding the bridge and the bus. Finally, we were on his trail. We parked and I headed for the bus. I got in and both Sam and Dean noted the scorch marks across the bus,

“Definitely an angel” Dean said after a moment of silence, “Cas?” He looked at me,

“Injured. The angel snuck up on him” I was starting to notice the scorch marks looked like the shape of wings. I looked down at a couple small blood drops, having to look away quickly. I left the bus, feeling the lump forming in my throat. It was frustrating just following his trail. I wanted him home. I wanted him safe. Sam came out to follow me, pulling me into a hug on seeing tears threatening to fall, “I just want him to be ok”

“It’ll be alright” He said, “Cas has been through a lot, he can handle himself” That wasn’t true. Sure he’d been through a lot but he’s never been human before. Now he’s getting tired and hungry and cold and lonely. I closed my eyes, starting to relax in Sam’s arms. One thing I’ll say about the moose, he gives the best hugs. I was just so stressed all the time, it was exhausting. I suppose that’s a good thing as it would give us more clues with each dream I had. As Sam and Dean were trying to talk to the homeless men and women, I was drifting off in the back seat.

It was still light. Castiel was dumpster diving for food, looking for anything that didn’t look like it would kill him in one bite. Luckily the restaurant nearby had just thrown out fresh veg. As he was picking through it, a woman came out of her apartment building. She paused on seeing him and he was immediately nervous,

“I’m not stealing” He said,

“And I’m not a cop” She replied. They sort of stared at each other awkwardly for a while. She picked out a couple sandwiches wrapped in clingfilm from her bag, “Peanut butter and jelly?” She walked over to him, “It’s pretty good”

“No, I can’t take your food” He said,

“You’re not, I’m giving it to you” Castiel still looked at her a little confused. She smiled, taking his hand to put the sandwiches in it, “Look, I’ve had hard times myself” She went to walk away,

“Thank you” Castiel said and she just smiled and nodded at him.

I woke up yet again but I didn’t want to move. These spans of five to ten minutes of sleep wrecks havoc on my sleeping pattern and no matter how much I slept, I never felt energised afterwards. I’d fall right back asleep again if I could but when I looked out the window, Sam and Dean were still having trouble talking to the homeless people. We didn’t have much time. I could see him but I couldn’t identify where he was. I got out of the car and went to ask around myself,

“Grace” Dean noticed me leave the car and called after me, I didn’t answer him. We’re running out of time, I don’t need him trying to shelter me. I’ve been to homeless camps before, I know the people to watch for. As a teenaged girl, I stayed close to the women in the camp. Though I wasn’t expecting them to protect me, I could use them to camouflage or intimidate anyone who tried to get at me. If not, I could always run to Sam and Dean. I knew who I was looking for but to get to him, I had to move away from the group of women. I hid around the outside, getting close to him without attracting attention from the larger men in the group. I put my scarf over my head to hopefully disguise myself and I was wearing wool and cotton.

“Hey” I called to him quietly to get his attention. He wandered away from the others. I was still cautious. He helped my dad with food but he could just as easily turn on me. I scanned him, sized him up. His face didn’t portray any ill will to me,

“Yeah?” He asked,

“I’m looking for someone. He’s called Clarence, he’s got dark hair, pretty tall, blue eyes. I think he was here as recently as last night or the night before”

“Clarence? Yeah, he was here last night but he left before dawn”

“Did you see where he went?”

“Is he in some kind of trouble?” Now, normally, if I have the sympathy card at my disposal, I’ll use it. I mean, I’m a kid in most people’s eyes, looking for her dad and he’s in trouble, I should totally use it but I couldn’t be certain that this person wouldn’t take advantage of me if I showed any weakness. It’s just something I got to know while I was homeless. Just because someone acts like they care, doesn’t mean they do. I nodded but kept up a hard stare in case he thought anything bad,

“I’ve been on his trail for days now, he still has a day in front of me but someone else keeps driving him onwards before I can get to him. That’s why I need to know where he went”

“Who is this guy to you anyway?”

“My dad” I replied. He seemed a little torn now. I still have yet to see any worrying signs from him and started thinking I could take my eye off him long enough to make sure no one else got too close. When he got closer, I tensed up, ready to bolt if I needed to but he was just leaning closer,

“Ok, he was sleeping in that bus there. I saw him rush out and up to the highway. He flagged a truck headed north”

“Truck headed north. Anything else?”

“It was heading to Detroit”

“How do you know?”

“It had Motorcity meats on it”

“Thank you” I gave him a quick smile. He smiled back and wandered away,

“Good luck finding your dad” He said over his shoulder. I made it out of the crowd where Sam was standing by the car watching me the whole time. Dean stood by the car too, glaring at me. I got back to them,

“What the hell were you thinking?” Dean shot at me before I even had a chance to open my mouth,

“Lecture me in the car, he’s in Detroit” I pushed passed him and got into the back. The boys got in and turned the car on,

“Did you just play the sympathy card?” Sam asked,

“I’m a kid looking for her dad, I _ am _ a sympathy card” I replied, resting my head on the window, “The guy said he flagged a truck with Motorcity meats, heading to Detroit”

“Do you even know how dangerous that was?” Dean scoffed from the front,

“Since when have you spent the night in a camp? I know how those places work or did you forget that I was practically homeless when you found me”

“You look exhausted Grace, how much sleep are you getting?” Sam asked, looking back at me,

“I don’t know like, two or three hours”

“Yeah well, get some sleep. It’ll be a while” I nodded and just rest my head on the window. The car’s purring engine was just so inviting, how can Sam and Dean even stand not falling asleep on long car rides, especially after an exhausting hunt. I closed my eyes and drifted off,

It was dark outside, raining too. Not the best time to be out but Castiel didn’t have much other option. He was still in that same ally with his hood up and sitting flat against the wall for some protection from the rain. That woman again came out of her apartment building, putting up her umbrella and went to just rush by him but then stopped and noticed him shivering in the rain, his breath showing up in a mist. So she walked over to him and offered him inside.

“Well, it’s beautiful” He said looking around her apartment,

“If you say so” She said, shuffling to tidy up a few things, “Just so you know, I don’t normally bring home strange men” She was a little awkward,

“Am I strange?” Cas asked,

“I mean, men I don’t know, but you look like you’ve been to hell and back” She was putting the lights on and taking out some towels to hopefully dry him,

“Yeah a few times” Cas started to peel off his soaked jacket that offered him no warmth now,

“April, by the way. April Kelly”

“Castiel” Cas said, he didn’t see the need to lie to her as he put his jacket down and took the towels to dry his face and hair,

“All one name?”

“Yeah, like God”

“Or Sher?” She smiled. It started to drop as she looked at his arm and noticed the cloth tied around it and blood soaking through his clothes, “Uh, not to raise any red flags but do you know your shirt’s soaked in blood?” Cas looked down at it then back at her probably hoping she wouldn’t freak out.

I sat back up in the back of the impala again. It was night time now and the pair of them had gone to the shop for some food. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember the last time I ate,

“Hello Grace” I froze, sitting a little straighter before turning my head to see an angel. I knew it was one too, I could see their mojo. I’m not going to call it grace. He was sitting next to me, wearing an expensive looking suit that looked tailor made. His light hair was meticulously maintained and his icy gaze kept me in place. My hand clutched the door handle, “I don’t think you’ll want to take the risk that an inexperienced teenager like you could hope to get away from something as profound at tracking as me” My hand slipped from the door, “That’s better”

“Who are you?” I asked, keeping my voice level,

“My name is Bartholomew” He said. He gave a smile, showing off perfectly white teeth, “And I think there’s something we should discuss”


	8. Chapter 8

I stayed frozen, my eyes scanning the streets for any sign of Sam or Dean or possibly other angels. There was no one else around. It was almost as if the whole town decided to avoid this street at this particular time. My eyes looked back to Bartholomew,

“What do you want?” I asked. I got used to putting up masks. I put a serious mask on, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing my fear,

“Well Gracie, I want a lot of things but that’s not what you want to hear. How about you ask the real question on your mind?”

“Why are you after my dad?”

“Your father has some real important information to share with me, not to mention, having heaven’s rebel on my side would be a very good chess piece and you sweetie are going to help me”

“Why would I help you?” I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling a twang of anger in my chest,

“Who said you had a choice?” I felt panic as he simply leaned over to me. I gripped my arm, remembering the blade when I felt the metal against my skin. It came out a lot easier than I thought it would, I almost dropped it. I just about grabbed it in time and stabbed his leg next to me. He yelled in pain as I pulled it out, I could see the wound glowing blue, “You little bitch!” He growled. I narrowed my eyes at him, a sudden confidence hit me and I felt ready to stab him again if he made another move. There was a white light and he completely disappeared. I looked over and Dean was bleeding from his hand, having made a weird looking symbol in his own blood,

“I thought I told you to zap back to the bunker when an angel shows up” He said. I gave a huge sigh of relief as Sam and Dean got into the front seat,

“You alright?” Sam asked. I nodded,

“Yeah”

“What the hell were you thinking?” Dean asked,

“I was thinking that I can only zap a short distance in a random direction and he’d find me before you would” I shot back, then lifted the bloody knife, “Figured I was in a better position here” Dean gave a long sigh. A sigh that I have definitely heard from my mother before. I smiled at him,

“You’re more difficult than Sam” He groaned,

“Who are you? My mum?” Sam smiled at me and looked to Dean. I don’t get the look but Dean did and just shook his head, starting the car up again, “We’re a couple hours drive from Detroit now, eat up” Dean passed a burrito to me. I held on to it. Sure I wasn’t aware of the last time I ate but I also didn’t feel hungry, just incredibly sleepy. It felt like I was conserving energy or something since I haven’t done anything to warrant this amount of sleep… yet.

It was day now and Castiel was just getting up and buttoning up his shirt having come out of the shower,

“I washed your clothes for you” April said over her shoulder at him while cutting up some fruit. Castiel went to pick up his jacket but noticed something missing, “Find everything ok?”

“Actually, there was something in my jacket, it’s a little hard to explain”

“Oh you mean this?” April turned and pointed the angel blade at him. He froze, “I think we should talk”

I burst awake. Dean and Sam were in Detroit now and were stumped. They had stopped for a while but I jumped out of the car.

“Hey Grace, wait up” I heard them call behind me but I didn’t care. I had to find that apartment, she was going to kill him. Eventually Dean grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, “Hey, hey, hey, what’s up? What happened?”

“She has him” I wiped away a tear, trying desperately not to break down, “She’s going to kill him”

“A reaper” I nodded. When Dean had turned me round I recognised the logo of the restaurant behind him,

“There” I pointed, rushing over. I headed straight to the alley beside it then burst open the door. Dean pushed me behind him,

“Stay behind us” He said, giving me a look, “I mean it” I held up my blade and looked at him,

“I get it, just go” I urged. The boys rushed up the stairs and burst into the room. I saw my dad on the chair, his hands tied behind it and his chest was bloody with cuts. She was leaning over him with his blade. On seeing us, she stabbed him, “No!” Dean went to her and was thrown immediately whilst I ran over to my dad. He wasn’t moving, I pulled the knife from his stomach and put pressure on the wound. Look, I don’t know what I’m doing I just know people do that to stop the bleeding but the truth was, he wasn’t bleeding. A little blood ran out from his wound but not much more after that. The fighting around me pretty much tuned out and my vision began to blur. I hadn’t moved from where I was but I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I didn’t turn around to see who it was,

“Cas?” Dean sounded lost. I finally looked up to see he was the one with his hand on my shoulder. Sam was just getting up from the fight, looking over at him looking shocked, “Sammy he’s gone” A sob escaped me and Dean squeezed my shoulder. The tears from my eyes finally spilled over and my shoulders just shook. I buried my head in my arms,

“Uh, Grace?” I looked up at Sam then he nodded down at my hands. They were glowing. As they glowed I saw his wounds closing up but I felt my strength wavering. I didn’t care, it was helping him. When his stab wound closed, I got up and stumbled back into the wall before collapsing down it. The only thing I heard before I blacked out was my dad’s voice,

“Grace?”

I woke up to the humming engine. My head was resting on something soft. I would have gotten up but I was too comfortable and tired. I was lulled back to sleep.

I woke up in my room. I felt like I’d just gone on a rollercoaster while drunk, none of my organs felt like they were in the right place and my head was spinning. When I stood up, I stumbled and crashed into the wall,

“Ugh” I fumbled around in the dark for a light switch until the light finally came on to illuminate my room. I winced at the light. I stood up and leaned against the wall until I felt stable enough to walk to the bed again. I still felt tired but my muscles just felt too stiff and sore to go back to bed. My door opened with a little urgency to see my dad coming in, “You’re alive” I tried to rush over, only to fall into him. He caught me and carefully sat me down on my bed,

“How are you feeling?” He asked,

“How am  _ I _ feeling? You’ve been tortured”

“And you’ve been unconscious for three days” He said, sitting down next to me. I’ll admit, my head was pounding and I didn’t really take in what he’d said,

“What happened?” I asked,

“Well, after you healed me, you passed out. We brought you back here and you’ve been asleep for it all”

“Three days?” I asked. My dad nodded, “I mean, I was really sleepy before all this but I didn’t think I was that tired”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m hungry” I stood up again, very wobbly. My dad took my arm as I walked back through the familiar halls. Never thought I’d actually miss them but being face to face with that angel Bartholomew was so much more terrifying than Crowley. Crowley at least had some kind of restraint and professionalism about him. He knew what he wanted and demanded it, not bothering to beat about the bush but Bartholomew… Bartholomew seemed like he was on the verge of tearing someone apart. He had a lot more psychotic vibes about him, like he could snap at any minute. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I was set down on a seat in the kitchen. My dad passed a glass of water across the table to me, “Where’s Sam and Dean?”

“On a hunt. Your mother’s still asleep. I think Kevin’s asleep too”

“What time is it?”

“Four”

“In the morning?” My dad nodded, “Why are you awake? You’re human now, you should be sleeping and eating just like everyone else”

“Yeah well, I’m starting to see how you have such trouble with it” He nodded. I took a sip of water,

“How often do you sleep?” I asked. My dad shrugged,

“I guess when I’m tired enough. I’ve not really been timing it” I nodded. My dad walked into the library and came back with my notepad, “I thought to try your technique, only to find that you’ve been writing a lot more” I gave the most innocent awkward smile I could pull as he opened up the pad to see thousands of enochian characters throughout the pages, “You’ve managed to write the complete history of the book of Enoch, right up to Kaleb’s disappearance which is interesting as there are details in here that even I didn’t know”

“How do I know it?”

“I don't know but there is something more concerning” He turned the page to another. It was filled completely like all the others but the same characters were repeated. I recognised it this time, “He's a liar” My dad read out, “Written a hundred and twenty three times”

“I do that when I wake up extremely stressed. I just have to write that. I did it when Gabriel, Sam and Dean rescued you and Samandriel. Again when the angels fell”

“Do you know who you're talking about?” I shook my head, “Perhaps you're getting it from angel radio” I tilted my head at him, squinting my eyes, “It’s what we’ve been calling it, it’s how angels talk to each other. It’s a telepathic frequency no human can pick up however since I was an angel, I can still hear it, so can you if you focus”

“And they just so happen to be saying he's a liar over and over?” My dad shrugged, “They still locked out of heaven?”

“Not only that but the angels have been fighting amongst themselves, forming factions for another civil war”

“Sounds chaotic. If I were to step outside right now would there be fires and flaming hailstorms?” My dad furrowed his eyebrows at me, tilting his head in a way I recognise I do all the time, “Nevermind” I sighed. I got up off my chair, feeling a lot more stable and started rummaging for food. I hadn’t eaten for three days. I looked up on hearing some footsteps,

“Cas? What are you still doing up?” I smiled on seeing my mother’s hair sticking up. She was in her dressing gown and slippers. Her tired eyes fell on me, “Gracie” She rushed over immediately hugging me,

“Hey mum” I chuckled, hugging her back,

“I’m so glad you’re awake” She kissed my hair, “Cas why didn’t you tell me she was awake?”

“I didn’t want to wake you”

“Yeah fair point mum, you’re like a bear when you sleep” I said,

“Good to see you’re all back to normal” She ruffled my hair,

“Sam and Dean will be happy to see you too, it sounded like she’d kill them if you didn’t wake up” My dad said,

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine” I replied, “I had a little trouble with coordination when I woke up”

“That’s to be expected” My dad said, “You didn’t just heal me, you brought me back from the brink of death. It’s a lot for a sixteen year old to handle”

“So you were really dead?” I looked up at him now with worry. He nodded his head,

“But it’s not the first time” He sighed. It was my turn to furrow my eyebrows and tilt my head at him, “Nevermind” The corner of his mouth twitched up. He was teasing me,

“Come on, it’s late” My mother said. She was nearly falling asleep herself. She put her arm around my shoulders and took my dad’s arm, leading us back to their room. By this point it was just second nature to be sleeping in between my mum and dad though this time dad will be sleeping along with us instead of just lying there.


	9. Chapter 9

Now I was still in the bunker. I hadn’t left since that day. Sam and Dean had come back from their hunt, happy to see I was ok. For my sake and for theirs. My dad and I, being the insomniacs that we were, were just waiting for everyone to get up. Turns out dad was doing his angel thing to keep me from having bad dreams. Now that he doesn’t have his grace, they were coming back. I was teaching him what I know about cooking which was not a lot. While I was invested in cooking, dad seemed a little more invested in my dreams. Maybe he should think of his own,

“You were very restless this morning” He was saying, keeping watch of some bacon frying gently in the pan,

“That happens with nightmares” I sighed, buttering toast, “Want some?” I handed him the plate while I put some on for myself,

“Thank you” He set the plate on the counter beside him so he could made sure nothing burned. I only knew how to boil eggs so that’s just was I was doing. You can’t mess up boiling, “How often do you get them?”

“I thought that was obvious with how often I sleep in your room” I muttered, not looking away from the toaster. Somehow I still jumped when it popped,

“What are they about?”

“Can we not talk about this?” I shot his way. He didn’t seem phased and expected an answer from me, “Look, it’s different every time”

“No it’s not” My dad caught that lie a lot faster than I thought he would,

“How would you know?”

“Because I have nightmares too and I know, despite everything I’ve done, they’re the same every night” I bit the inside of my cheek, ignoring him to butter my toast,

“You might want to turn the bacon over now” I sighed. I heard an extra sizzle as dad went about moving the bacon over to the cooler side,

“Is it about demons?” Dad asked. I didn’t say anything but from the corner of my eye, I saw him get closer until he was right next to me, leaning against the counter to try and catch my eye, “Grace” I looked up at him now, managing to find a mask to fit while he stared at me,

“What?” My voice sounded sharper than I’d like and my dad sure didn’t appreciate it. He didn’t say anything but his eyebrows puckered at it,

“I don’t want you to fall into the same trap as Sam and Dean. You need to talk about it or it will never get better” My mask wasn’t strong enough to contain my anger,

“You want me to talk about it?” I hissed at him, “I was hunted by demons for days on the street, I was kidnapped and I was tortured. Are you happy now? Because I’m not” Dad flinched a little but didn’t recoil and obviously wasn’t that surprised,

“What do you dream about?”

“Demons. Can’t you guess? Being chased by demons through a maze of buildings. And their dogs. Their damn dogs, they’re faster than the demons and me” I practically growled at him, anger seething like it had when that demon was stabbing me,

“The hell hounds?”

“Whatever they’re called. They couldn’t climb like me but they could jump real high. If you hadn’t have healed me, I might still have the scars” A glass on the counter shattered and I knew I had to leash it or I’d do more damage. I bit down the rest of my anger and looked back down at my now cold toast, my glare hot enough to warm it up again. All I felt in return from my dad was a hand on my shoulder. No words, no retaliation from my outburst. Footsteps from the door prompted me to look up again, Dean was walking in. He paused when he saw us,

“What’s going on?” He asked. I lifted my plate, moving away from my dad,

“A therapy session apparently” I muttered, heading over to the table. My dad paused before heading to the bacon again that had started to smell a little burnt. He took it off the heat, taking the bacon out and putting the pan in the sink. Meanwhile I sat with my toast, my orange juice now spilled out over the counter after my outburst. I stayed silent until my mum came out now,

“I wondered where you’d both went” She smiled. My dad smiled back briefly before looking at me. I just glared. My mum stopped smiling and sat down beside me. I sighed, already knowing I’d need to talk more, “Grace?” I looked up at my mum now, still angry. My mum was a lot less accepting of my temperament today and she narrowed her eyes, “Don’t give me that look” She warned lowly but I was still far too heated so I averted my gaze and ate my toast. I looked to Dean who looked between us and my dad,

“Well it’s been fun” He said, walking out the room. I gave a sigh, trying to calm down now. When I did, I looked at my mum,

“That’s better” She said, her gaze softening as a result, “Now, what happened?” Anger came back at the thought, “And calmly” She added and I had to calm myself again. She gestured dad over to sit with us,

“I was trying to get her to open up about her dreams” Dad said,

“Any luck?” My mum knew very well that I didn’t like to talk about that stuff,

“She did talk to me, albeit angry”

“Well?” She turned to me now, “Tell me” If I didn’t tell her, dad would. Unable to get angry, something else washed over me; something I wasn’t expecting. It’s easy not to get scared when you’re angry. Now I blinked as my vision got slightly blurred. One stupid tear escaped,

“I’m being hunted by hell hounds” I whispered. I didn’t trust my voice and I couldn’t hide it any longer, I was scared. I put my arm up between me and my mum and rest my head in that hand, trying desperately to have some dignity. I’m already sleeping with them at night, I’m not going to burst into tears in front of them. My mum clutched my wrist and pulled it out from under my head, pulling me into her where she wrapped her arms around me. I tried to pull out but she had that same firm, gentle grip as always and I didn’t have enough will to pull away. I didn’t cry though, even though it made my eyes and throat sting more. With my mum on one side holding me tightly, that left the other for my dad who leaned over and kissed my head. I’m not used to getting affection from all sides, I kinda wanted to escape it and kinda didn’t. Luckily it didn’t last for too long. I started to struggle and mum let me go. I left the kitchen in a dash for freedom.

I don’t wallow and feel sorry for myself for long. I gave it a while until I let myself be seen. By then, I’d cried what I needed to cry and cleaned myself up enough. Now I was sitting in the bunker shuffling a deck of cards,

“You still remember your card?” I asked my dad,

“Yes” He said, sitting across from me,

“Ok” I split the deck up into several piles, all still keeping my eye on my dad. He was still looking at the piles so he was an easy candidate to distract, “Is this your card?” I held a random card up,

“No” My dad said,

“Oh” I said, “Hang on, what about this one?”

“No” Sam was walking by us and sniggered,

“Cas there’s a card in your hood” Sam picked the card out of the hood of his jacket and he looked at it,

“That’s my card” My dad gave it back to me, “Impressive. I didn’t see you put it there”

“That’s because you were paying attention to the wrong thing” I smirked triumphantly. The door to the bunker swung open and down came Balthazar,

“By dad, I miss flying” He said, “You realise how much slower life is without wings?” He paused on seeing my dad, “But I’m not in the position to complain. So it’s true”

“Yes. Metatron stole my grace” Cas said,

“Metatron? The transformer?” I looked up at Sam,

“That’s Megatron” He replied

“Oh”

“Metatron is the scribe of God and is responsible for the angels being cast out of heaven” My dad said to me. I nodded, “And is the reason why I’m human”

“Oh that must be awful” Balthazar said, “Why’d he steal your grace?” 

“It was the final ingredient in the spell”

“Ah, so that’s why I’ve been hearing all that ‘kill Castiel’ propaganda over the radio” Balthazar nodded, “Right well I really just came to lay low, hope it’s alright. Gabriel’s gone off grid and I haven’t heard anything from Samandriel”

“Yeah come on in, all dicks welcome” Dean snarked leaning against the doorway,

“Language Dean there’s a child here” Balthazar shot back. I sighed shuffling the deck before putting it down, “Oh you play poker?”

“Dad doesn’t know how to play” I said, “And Sam and Dean are too busy” I got back to my notepad. There are still some drawings in there to interrupt the textbook worth of enochian that I still don’t understand. This time I did draw something, or started to anyway,

“How’s things looking out there?” Dean asked,

“It’s like a witch hunt for Metatron. The angels are starting to organise into factions. Malachi is head of one. I don’t really know the other, they’re pretty discrete” Balthazar reported,

“Bartholomew” Dean replied,

“Naomi’s protege?” Balthazar asked. I knew who Naomi was now. Those two names just brought me more anger. A glass near my dad lifted up by itself. He just pushed it back down onto the table again, holding it down. The enochian started to flow out onto my hand again,

“Grace” My dad’s voice snapped me out of it,

“What?” I asked. He nodded down to the enochian again and I sighed, “Not again” I couldn’t recognise it. At least it’s not ‘he’s a liar’ but dad didn’t seem very happy about what was being written, “What did I write?” I asked as Balthazar craned his neck to look at it,

“Nothing I could repeat back to you”

“Waw” Balthazar said, “I didn’t realise you were so colourful”

“What did I write?” I asked,

“Well, the first sentence is about Naomi” Balthazar was trying to explain it more politely, he kept looking over at my dad, “Then it goes into a whole lot of curse words and now you’re writing ‘Watch it, they’re listening’” I looked down at my hand to see it was still writing, “It kind of looks like two different speakers here”

“Kevin thought that too” I replied,

“Do you hear a voice or something?” Dean asked,

“No I don’t. I don’t know where this comes from”

“It would explain you writing about the book of Enoch. Someone’s telling you about it” My dad said,

“But who is speaking to me?” I asked,

“Ask them” Balthazar said, “Here” He wrote on my piece of paper some symbols. I started writing more,

“Well? Who?” I asked. Balthazar tilted his head and my dad looked up at me,

“Kaleb”

“Kaleb that disappeared and hasn’t been seen for centuries? That one?” I asked,

“The very same” Balthazar replied,

“Why’s he suddenly talking now. And talking to me?”

“He’s probably pretty weak since he hasn’t been to heaven in a long time, you must have been the easiest to reach out to. It’s probably why you can’t hear him either” Balthazar wrote down some enochian on the same notepad as mine and I just wrote under it,

“Hey he remembers us Cassie” Balthazar said. I continued to write and Balthazar’s smile dropped, “Not fondly” My dad smirked at that,

“What the hell are you saying?”

“Well he’s currently yelling at me for excluding him from our wine tasting last we met” Dad rolled his eyes before taking the pen from Balthazar and writing more and I again wrote,

“I’m asking him where he is” My dad said and I was writing underneath, “He says it’s not safe to reveal his location, he'll come to us when it’s safer” After this I stopped writing. I sat there for a while but nothing came to me anymore. I looked up at my dad and Balthazar. Both looked a little confused too. Kaleb seemed to have stopped all communication.

“If that was Kaleb then who was the other voice?” I asked, “How can we tell which one is speaking?” My dad took a second to answer, maybe waiting for more writing as he stared at the page then looked up at me,

“I don’t know” I went to bed that night a little confused at all this. An angel called Kaleb was talking to me. He didn’t even sound like an angel as he talked. I wasn’t entirely convinced it was him. When he refused to give up his location I had looked to my dad. The look of doubt on his face sat with me. Who was really talking to me? Who was in my head? I brushed my teeth and went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night to more movement. Mum was still there but dad was gone. I snuck out of the halls to see my dad. He was in the kitchen wandering about until he left out the other door. I followed silently and he was actually leaving through the bunker door. I furrowed my eyebrows. He just left. I went to follow but I got to the front door and froze. I couldn’t even force myself to open that door. I felt so comfy and safe in here but out there, I was terrified. I sighed. Suck it up Grace. I put my hand on the handle and pushed it down. I pushed the door open a crack yet that’s all I could do as my heart was racing. I caught a glimpse of my dad walking in the direction of town. I couldn’t follow him there. I just couldn’t. I closed the door and sat back at the library table to calm down.

“Come on Grace. It’s just outside” I whispered to myself. I went to the door again and stood there for a while, “You know, he’s probably doing a supply run, no need to worry” I walked back down the stairs, “In the middle of the night” I muttered heading into the library and started to draw. I was drawing the archaeologist again. The one in my other pictures that included her finding enochian. I drew her figure sitting at a pit while other figures pulled up a coffin from it. On the coffin was one word in enochian. A word I was very familiar with now. Liar. I don't know why I decided to write it. I flipped the page to a blank one now. More writing. He's a liar, he's a liar, “Ok, I get it!” I said frustrated and the writing stopped. I paused, “Kaleb? Is that you?” More writing. I don't know writing but it was a response. I saw Balthazar come in, watching me. I looked up at him and he understood my look,

“Yes” He said. I looked down at the page again,

“Was it you I spoke to earlier?” More writing,

“No” Balthazar said,

“Who was I speaking to?” The next bit of writing I understood even without Balthazar's translation,

“The liar”

“Where are you?”

“Hiding”

“Where?” I didn't apply enough pressure but my pencil lead broke. I looked up at Balthazar,

“Looks like you're talking to two angels” He said, “And neither want to be found”


	10. Chapter 10

I hadn’t seen my dad in weeks. Sure I heard from him every now and again but it didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t tell anyone about my fear of going outside. I think Balthazar knows. I usually go on walks with him with a blade up my sleeve. If an angel or demon did show up, he could protect me or I could try and protect myself. We were walking into town now,

“Why did dad leave?” I asked,

“To try and fix this” Balthazar replied, “Cassie’s usually the responsible one. With all these angels here, it means more that could find you” I sighed,

“But he’s human now, why can’t he have you or Gabriel do it?” I stopped and looked up at him now,

“Because he loves you and he’d do anything for you” Balthazar continued walking and I walked beside him, “How’ve you been getting on at nights?”

“What do you mean?”

“Honey, I don’t sleep which means I know what you get up to at nights. Still not able to leave the bunker alone?”

“Not comfortably” I looked on, seeing the shops up ahead, “And definitely not unarmed”

“Well that’s just common sense” Balthazar huffed, “Young girl like you against angels and demons without a weapon?” I raised my eyebrows,

“I guess you didn’t hear how I met the Winchesters” I replied, heading into a shop. I grabbed what I needed, smiling briefly at the girl at the till as her friends waved to me. Balthazar was outside, ready to escort me back,

“Could you not have just told the boys what you wanted and let them get it?”

“If I stay in the bunker any longer, I’m gonna go crazy”

“Fair enough” He put his hands in his pockets, “What were you saying earlier?”

“Nothing” I sighed,

“It’s a long walk back”

“I was hunted by demons for days before I met Sam and Dean”

“How long?”

“They were quite a blur, over a week”

“Hmm” Balthazar seemed impressed, “I’m surprised they didn’t send the dogs to hunt you down?”

“They did” I replied,

“Hell hounds track down people whose soul contracts are up. There’s no escaping them” He stopped walking and I had to turn back to him, “How did you escape?”

“The hounds can’t climb” I replied,

“You just hung out in a tree?” He raised an eyebrow,

“No, I hung out on rooftops. I spent a whole night on one, nearly bled out from injuries” Balthazar’s face contorted in sympathy, “It was also raining” He smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder,

“You’re one tough kid” He walked on with me, arm over my shoulder, “Now that angels can’t fly, you’ve got just as much of a chance at losing them as demons”

“Not on a straight road like this” I sighed,

“You’ll be fine” Balthazar smiled, “You can heal quickly, the only thing to leave any lasting damage is sitting in your sleeve”

“Will it work on hell hounds?”

“It should. You can also zap away from them”

“I’ve only ever done it by accident and it wasn’t very far” Balthazar hummed again. Within the trees on our side of the road, I caught sight of movement. My head spun towards it, eyes scanning every inch but I couldn’t find anything. There was silence while as we walked back,

“You been writing anything new?”

“Nothing” I said, taking my eyes off the trees and back on our own path, “Kaleb and the other angel are quiet. Still don’t know who’s who”

“As long as none of them ask you to do anything risky, you should be fine”

“That’s not what I’m worried about”

“What are you worried about?”

“How did they get in my head?” Balthazar paused, thinking back,

“I suppose to know that, you have to ask yourself when they got in your head”

“A couple weeks before the demon attack”

“Anything particular happen then? Any incidents?” A memory popped into my head but I was stubborn about mentioning it, “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me” He went silent. Damn it. I had to let the memory up,

“I got struck by lightning” I blurted out. Balthazar lifted an eyebrow, “A single lightning bolt hit me from a clear blue sky. I was rushed to hospital. Was there for a couple days until my burns just healed by themselves. Mum relocated us not long after”

“Strange. That suggests that angels knew about you by then but I never heard anything about an attack”

“Maybe a lone angel?” I asked, “One that didn’t tell the others” Balthazar nodded, about to say something else before deciding against it, “What?”

“I was trying to think of any angel that could do that. Aside from archangels, I can’t think of any. We only have four though. Raphael is dead, Gabriel wouldn’t and Michael and Lucifer are trapped in hell”

“Lucifer as in the devil?” I asked. Balthazar tilted his head,

“No, I mean the cherub” Serious got lost on Balthazar’s face while sarcasm rolled off his tongue. I chuckled at it before we fell back into a silence. It got me thinking now. Who would do it? Perhaps one of the voices in my head, the one pretending to be Kaleb. We made it back to the bunker now, smell wafting from the kitchen. I headed for it to find Dean in an apron standing over the stove,

“You eat?” Dean asked, “Cause I can put on another burger if you’d like”

“Yeah, thanks” I replied. Dean gave a smirk before putting another burger on the pan, “Where’s Sam?”

“Supply run” Dean hadn’t looked up from the pan. It was just us in the kitchen,

“Have you heard from my dad?” I asked casually,

“Yeah, he checked in yesterday. He’s still alive” He smiled. I smiled back,

“Can I ask about Sam?”

“Sam?”

“Yeah. He was really sick a while ago and now it’s like nothing happened. So what the hell happened to him? He’s been working tirelessly, going out running. That just doesn’t happen to someone who had been coughing up blood just a few weeks ago” Dean shrugged,

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with him” It seemed genuine too but I could tell he was holding something back. He was always hiding something from me. I took one of the burgers and brought it into Kevin’s room. His entire room was littered with papers everywhere. It looked like a patient's room in a psych ward, if that patient was trusted with pencils and paper. He was passed out on his desk but the smell of the burger by his nose soon changed that. He sat up almost dazed, very quiet. I had to sigh at him, pulling some of those papers away from him,

“Wait, you’ll mess up the order” He said,

“What order? It’s a mess” I said, “You’re gonna have to get out of this room at some point”

“Only if you come with me out the bunker”

“I just went out with Balthazar earlier” I replied. Kevin gave me a look, “I did”

“Come out with me or it didn’t happen” He said,

“Ok fine. Eat your burger” I instructed with a huff before going back to mine in the kitchen. Kevin came into the kitchen not long after, putting his coat on,

“You ready?” He asked,

“Hey, where are you going?” Dean asked,

“Grace was telling me I should get out more. So I told her I would if she got out too” Kevin gave me a look. I swallowed the rest of my burger and followed him to the door. He opened the door wide and pulled me out of the bunker, closing the door shut behind him. I looked back at it, “Breathe, you’re outside. Fresh air” Kevin looked over at me a little concerned. I gave him a look,

“Now what?” I asked,

“Just go on a walk”

“A walk?” I sighed, “I just went for one like ten minutes ago, my legs could use a break”

“We won’t walk far” It was getting dark and a little chilly. We didn’t even get very far. Once we were away from the building, Kevin started talking, “How’ve you been sleeping?” He asked,

“Same as usual”

“You don’t?”

“I get a couple hours”

“How are the dreams?”

“Never changing” I sat on the grass as my legs started to hurt. Kevin sat beside me,

“Have you talked to anyone about it?”

“My parents tag teamed me about it” I huffed, “Hasn’t changed anything though” Kevin took my arm, pushing at the firm lump beside my arm until it fell out. He picked up the blade,

“Is that why you have this?” I snatched it back immediately, “Do Sam and Dean know you have it?”

“They knew I had it when I went out with them to find my dad. I stabbed an angel with it when they left me in the car” I stuck it in the inside of my jacket, finding it long enough to hide it. The blade was so long, it was almost the length of my arm, “I have demons and angels on my tail last I checked. You think I won’t arm myself?”

“What about your mother?”

“I’m not telling her I’m carrying a knife, are you crazy?” Kevin smirked there,

“I haven’t seen a lot from you”

“Maybe you should come out of your room more, I could say the same about you” I smiled at him now, “Nice to see you out” He smiled,

“You too”


	11. Chapter 11

Still no update on my dad, he’s completely off the grid now. I haven’t been getting dreams but I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping. I was awoke in the library by Sam and Dean. Kevin was going crazy so they basically gave him a vacation out of the bunker.

“Well, he’s all set up in a warded hotel room. Kid really needed it. He was staring at that rock saying falafel the whole ride” Dean said. I just moaned at the rude awakening, “Why is it every time we see you, you’re sleeping?” Dean asked,

“Why is it every time I see you, you’re wearing the exact same thing” I shot back, “I can’t tell if it’s the same day or if you just don’t have any other outfits” I tried to stay awake but already my eyes were drooping again,

“How much sleep do you get at night?” Sam asked. I shrugged, sitting up sleepily. My mum walked out of the kitchen getting ready to go to work again. She gave Sam and Dean a look that prompted them to leave. They both took the hint and left. I furrowed my eyebrows at her as she went to sit next to me. Well, something was wrong,

“Hey Grace” Her voice was hushed a little and her tone wasn’t what I was used to. She wasn’t giving me eye contact. Normally it’s the other way round then my mum would ask me what I’ve done,

“Mum?” I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I was just wondering, I’ve seen you sleeping all the time” She started, looking back at me,

“I know” I said, “It would be quicker to count the hours I’m awake”

“Come on, bed. Some proper sleep will do you good” She said, taking my arm and leading me down the hall to my room. Once there, she closed the door behind her and sat beside me. Uh, oh. Something happened. This is exactly what she did when my dog died, “Grace, are you still having those dreams?” She asked, rather cautiously. Alarm bells were ringing in my head at her actions and tone. She only ever really acted like this when she was really worried,

“Why?” I asked, “Mum, what happened?”

“I was just hoping you’d know anything about your father” I paused before shaking my head,

“Since he warded himself against angels, I haven’t been able to tell where he is” She sighed,

“I’m worried about him” I relaxed ever so slightly. Nothing happened, no one is moving anywhere. But now I studied her. She’s never outwardly shown her worry like this. Even now that I’m sixteen she still would treat me like I was five. She must really worry. She was just looking back at me right now, “I should let you sleep” She said, “You look exhausted” She left the room and I sat for a minute before a huge wave of exhaustion came over me. I don’t know what happened but I had to go to sleep. My head just hit the pillow and I was out like a light.

I woke up about a couple hours later. I walked out my room and there was quiet in the hallways. No sign of anyone. For a minute I thought I was actually still dreaming but most of my dreams right now are black, some mumbling in the background. I wandered into the kitchen and library, no one there. The garage, the car’s gone. I heard the heavy door of the bunker open and close,

“Sam? Dean?” I called, heading back to the library. It was my mum instead,

“They’re away on a hunt” She called behind her, not having noticed I was close as she head into the kitchen with her bags, “It’s just us now”

“Oh” I replied, “Wait, you’re back from work already?”

“I’ve been gone for hours sweetie” Sweetie? My mum would either say honey or some variation of my name,

“Yeah, two hours. That’s not a work shift” She squinted her eyes,

“Two hours? Your clock must be wrong. Grace, I’ve been gone the whole day” I looked at my watch then hers. They were definitely out of sync, “Have you been asleep the whole time?” She asked. I sat down a little stunned,

“I must have been” I replied,

“Let me get you something to eat” She said,

“I’m not hungry” That’s weird. I haven’t eaten all day but I’m not hungry? It’s like when I was passed out for three days and miraculously not starved to death. Must be a nephilim thing but I’ve never not been hungry after all that time. Something about all this seemed off. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. Then a crazy thought entered my head. I had to test the theory, “I’m gonna go outside. See if the fresh air will help”

“Ok be back soon” Came the reply. I walked up the stairs to the front door. I paused for a second, looking at that door handle but I found myself opening it, stepping out and closing the door behind me with relative ease. That’s when I knew it. This wasn’t real. Of course Sam and Dean don’t just leave without telling me, my mother doesn’t really act like that and I could pass that threshold because there was no threshold. I’m not hungry because I am asleep, I don’t feel anything. So what were those voices and the darkness? Dreams within dreams? Or something a little more real. Was I in a coma? Were those voices doctors or even Sam and Dean? I paused, trying to think back to what happened to me. I was out on a walk with Kevin, I know that was real since it was the last time I had a fear of going outside. It was also the last time I ate. Kevin and I were walking and that’s the last thing I remember. I was tired but… I remembered seeing Kevin scared. What was he scared of? “Grace?” I turned to see my mother, “Are you ok?”

“Huh? Yeah, just thinking” I replied,

“About what?” She asked,

“Nothing important” I sighed before following her back to the bunker. I felt a slight bitterness in my stomach though. None of this was real and I couldn’t tell what was wrong, “I’m going back to bed” I replied,

“Grace, you should eat” She said,

“I’m not hungry, I’m just tired”

“Grace”

“I said I’m not hungry” I said before leaving. This is not a real dream if I got away with that. My real mother would get angry at me for snapping and make me eat even if I didn’t feel hungry. If I were dreaming normally, she would act more herself. Something more sinister is going on. I went to check Sam and Dean’s rooms. Empty. Like they’d never been lived in. Kevin’s too, immaculate. I know for a fact, papers would be strewn everywhere. This wasn’t my dream. I head to my room to try and sleep. Maybe those voices can tell me more. Darkness clouded my vision,

“Her mind is too strong” It was a man’s voice. Not one I recognise, “She’ll know something’s wrong soon, if she hasn’t already”

“Then get more direct. I don’t care what you have to do, do it” Bartholomew. That’s what Kevin was scared about. An angel appeared behind me and grabbed me, putting me into this dream world so I won’t know anything’s wrong. They probably want to know where my dad is. At least they’ll never find out from me, not if I don’t know where he is either. I passed out again, now knowing that this is the dream. But what should I do? Do I call them out? Fight back? Do I pretend everything is fine? Maybe I can learn something. I approached my mother. I wanted to knock this impostor out. How dare they try and copy someone as special to me as her. But I stayed calm for now. They still had some way of keeping me asleep. I needed to find that out first so I could fight back. My mother was sitting at the table in the library with the map Sam and Dean used to track dad down. How did she get that? I noticed there were extra markings from the places I pointed out to Sam and Dean,

“What’s that?” I asked seemingly absentminded,

“It’s what Sam and Dean used to find your father” She said, “How the hell did they do that?” I sat down beside her with a thought. I had all the control in this situation. I controlled what information I could share with them, I could have them running around in circles. I smirked at that, looking over the map again,

“That dot in the middle was where dad called Dean from” I pointed it out, “Then the circles were about how far he could get each day”

“What are these?” She pointed at them,

“The locations of my dreams” I said, “We got to Detroit and then he warded himself. I had dreams of the reaper who had my dad instead”

“Do you think we could track his phone?” She asked,

“If he isn’t picking up his calls, I doubt we’ll reach him” I replied,

“Yeah but track it with a satellite or something” I gave her a funny look and a snort,

“You planning on hacking a satellite?” I gave a chuckle, “Yeah, no. That’s not how phones work. I don’t fully know how they do work but I know it’s not that” That’s a lie. I knew phones worked on a network, pinging from cell towers but if they were willing to hack a satellite to find him, they must have some serious resources. Maybe I should get them chasing their tails, “Look, I think you can still track it. As long as the phone is on” I said, taking Sam’s laptop that he’d never leave behind if the world was on fire. Hunting? Yeah right. I opened it up and entered a number for my high school friend, three states away. “I think you can track it with the number. I just don’t really know how. I just see them do it on TV” Suddenly a wave of exhaustion hit me, “Woah” I nearly fell at it. Well I guess it’s not exhaustion if I’m already asleep. Maybe a wave of actual energy, boasting me to wake up. Hmm. Maybe that’s how I can wake up. I focused on that energy, standing up and feeling myself wobble. I fell to the ground, focusing my thoughts on this feeling, willing my angel powers to actually work. I woke up. There was no talking and I felt like I was alone. I forced my eyes open with as much strength as I could muster but it felt like something was gluing them shut. I pushed up against the force on my chest and arms, rolling over so I could push myself up. I ended up falling off some bench. After that, I stood up, eyes open. Around me looked like something from a horror movie. The place was dark, damp and abandoned. The table I had been lying on was waist high. The walls were stone and graffitied. There were windows with partial daylight streaming through the wooden boards. I needed to get out of here. There was a dark brown door at one wall that looked newer than anything else in the room. I tried it. Locked. Ok, what else can I do? I’ve discovered I can’t pick locks so I went to the windows, using a discarded metal bar to pry the boards off. The windows didn’t open so I used the bar to smash the glass. It cracked on the first hit, the cracks spreading like spider webs across the window. I hit the same spot again a little harder and the glass broke through, opening a small hole that I had to widen with the bar. I climbed out and ran as fast as I could away from that building. I got to the street with cars driving by and it was nearly night time. The sun was setting. I got to the nearest gas and sip and went straight to the pay phone. I called up Dean’s phone,

“Hello?” He said when he answered it,

“Dean?”

“Grace, are you ok?” His voice took on some urgency,

“I-I’m fine. Listen. I don’t know where I am and I really need help”


	12. Chapter 12

“Look around you, what do you see?” Dean asked calmly through the phone,

“I’m at a gas station, next to a road. Not really helping since everywhere has one”

“Any other buildings? Landmarks?”

“There’s an abandoned building down the road. Aside from that, I don’t see any town or even know what state I’m in”

“Ok, we’re gonna try and find you. Do you have enough money to buy a map and a phone?” I put my hands in my pockets and fished out a couple dollars,

“Yes on the map. No on the phone” I replied,

“Ok, just go for the map. I’ll get Sam to try and track the call”

“Ok” I hung up the phone then went inside to buy that map, “Where about am I on the map?” I asked the store clerk. He just patiently pointed it out to me and I nodded, marking it with a pen before heading back to the pay phone and calling Dean again, “Ok so I am somewhere near Lawrence” I replied, looking back at the map, “A few miles east of it I think” I felt a pair of eyes on me and I looked around,

“Grace? You ok?” Dean questioned my silence. I scanned the area but saw no one. I lowered my voice,

“I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid but I think someone else is here”

“You see someone?”

“No” I replied, “No not really, I just feel like I’m being watched”

“Ok, can you get yourself to Lawrence anyway? We can meet up there”

“Yeah” I nod, “I’ll see you there” I hung up the phone and took a look around before following the map down the road. I walked for hours with the moon risen high above me. I would have been tired if I hadn’t been in that sleep for who knows how long. I’d say quite a few days considering Dean wasn’t expecting a call from me but got pretty serious when he realised it was me so I have been gone a while. My legs were sure sore from walking though. Finally I just had to sit down on the side of the road, resting my legs. I was starting to think I’d never see civilisation. The whole road was dark and there was no sign of a town ahead of me. I saw bright headlights coming from behind me. I stood up immediately as the car slowed to a stop. I squinted at the light, trying to figure out who it was, I really hoped it was Sam and Dean. I saw the driver door open and close with a squeak, the motor was still going and the lights were still on but I could see an outline of the driver and he was pretty tall. He could be Dean’s height, Dean’s like six foot. When he started to walk towards me though without having said a word, I knew it wasn’t,

“You lost?” Someone called out. It was a man’s voice and I furrowed my eyebrows, still squinting my eyes at him,

“Who’s there?” I asked still unable to make him out,

“We’ve been looking for you” Crap. It was an angel. I took a step away, “Where are you going to go?” He asked, “You can’t run and I have a car” He had a point. Maybe I could zap away. I tried but failed,

“Damn it” I cursed under my breath,

“Come on Grace” He reached for me but I stepped back, “Come quietly and I won’t hurt you” I noticed the light shine off some metal in his other hand. I didn’t have much of a choice. I gave a sigh and followed him back to his car. He handcuffed me and put me in the backseat and I already know how bad I was at picking locks. Well it seemed like I had a lot of time to practice since I had a couple hair pins in my hair and he had a lot of driving to do.

I woke up again and it was daytime. I was who knows where but we were in a town and I was still handcuffed. I had fiddled with the lock plenty of times over the course of the drive, managing to get a pin stuck but I hadn’t opened them. He pulled up at this old looking building. As we walked in, it looked like I’d walked into the FBI or something, there was a huge room with computers and people working at them and a huge screen on one wall looking for one individual. I think that was Metatron since these were all angels at the computers. They were all pretty much staring at me as I was led through by this guy. I couldn’t really tell what they were thinking, some seemed a little scared but most had blank expressions. I suddenly froze when I realised who else was in the building. I could tell before we even entered the door into this other room, it’s like I could sense him or something,

“Dad?” I muttered. He was an angel again, not a human anymore. He must have got his power back or something. The angel pushed me forward to which I gave him a look before walking on. When we got into the room, my dad was there, still giving Bartholomew this death stare. There was another angel there that was clearly very dead. Just casual, no one appeared to take notice of it. As we entered, my dad saw me and immediately tensed up,

“I found her wandering the side of the road” The angel informed Bartholomew,

“Grace?” Dad furrowed his eyebrows,

“A little insurance” Bartholomew said, “You’re heaven’s famous rebel, I knew better than to think you’d fall in line” My eyes scanned the room for a way out. I was getting good at that. By this point it was practically second nature. My eyes clocked the fire escape. The window was closed, probably locked. I looked at my dad and his eyes moved in that direction, also noticing it. He turned back to Bartholomew but I noticed his fingers were gesturing in a turning motion. I thought they were gesturing to me when I heard the slight click from the window lock. Now I’m gonna admit something here. I had opened my handcuffs on the way over, I just knew I couldn’t run yet, I would need a distraction. The pin was jammed in the perfect position to unlock it. A little bit of pressure and it would open. I made my first move by swinging my head back into the guy behind me and when his head fell forward, I jammed the other end of the pin into his forehead. Not only did it make him stumble back, it also freed my hands. I ran for the window before he could possibly recover, knowing I’d lose a couple seconds to open it but lucky for me it flew open just before I got to it. I dove out the gap into the fire escape. I turned back to see my dad had not followed me out and was instead fighting Bartholomew,

“Go” He said, on noticing I hadn’t left yet. He was currently holding back an angel blade that was inches from his throat. Bartholomew seemed more focused on trying to kill him than recruit him. The other angel was making his way towards me so I took off down the fire escape to the street, running at full speed. I turned briefly to see he was pursuing me but unlike on the road, he didn’t have a car and I had places to run to. I knew how to run from someone. If you think of school as a prison ground, punch the wrong guy and you deal with the whole gang, that used to be me every other Tuesday. I knew what to do to lose someone, especially if they’re determined. I'd used these skills against the demons now I had to lose one angel that couldn't fly. I didn't know what to expect from it so I went towards the shops. I was honestly looking for the most crowded place I could. The shop racks offered good cover, ducking into them whenever he got near, diving through them when he got too close and I was able to hide there. I snuck into the fitting rooms. He’d get stopped if he tried going for the female fitting rooms if not by the shop, then by other girls who were there and I’d get support. Sure enough, there were a group of girls there,

“Hey, could I hide with you? There’s this creepy guy that’s been following me around” I said,

“Of course” They were immediately supportive, even giving me another jacket and a hat to hid me,

“Hey, do you want to use my phone to call someone?” One girl asked,

“Can I? That would be great” I smiled at her. It helps to be a teenage girl. She handed me her phone and I immediately called Dean though I’m kinda standing in front of everyone so I couldn’t outwardly state that I was kidnapped, “Hey Dean?” I said through the phone,

“Grace, damn it, where are you?” He asked. I looked up at the girls, smiling nervously until I started talking again,

“I’m just with some lovely girls here, there is this real creep in the store. I was just wondering if you were close”

“Where are you?” He asked, getting what I was talking about,

“Where am I?” I asked them, “I was asleep when we drove in”

“Lawrence” One said,

“So I am in Lawrence, that’s good. I’m in the department store in Lawrence, hiding out in the fitting rooms. You still here?” I asked,

“Hang on, we’re coming to you now” Dean hung up and I gave the phone back to the girl,

“Thanks” I smiled,

“Oh, who’s Dean?” They asked suggestively,

“A friend of the family. The kinda friend that’s like, ‘you mess with them, you mess with me’” They all nodded and chat with me for a while until finally I heard a voice,

“Hey Grace” Came a call from the entrance to the fitting rooms, “All clear” I gave back the jacket and hat,

“Thank you” I smiled at them and said my goodbyes before going over to see Dean and boy was I happy to see him. He led me out and Sam was standing outside the shop by the car,

“Hey kiddo” He bent down to give me a hug, “You ok?”

“I’m fine. I got caught at the side of the road heading in” I said, “They brought me to Bartholomew” I pointed up the street from where I came, “They have my dad there”

“Cas can handle himself. Let’s get you back before more angels get here” Dean said heading to the driver’s side. I heard a scream from one of the girls from the fitting rooms and when I turned to them a hand wrapped around my throat and mouth. Sam immediately rushed in to pull him away and Dean got there too. I pushed against the grip and when I got free, I realised it was Bartholomew himself, “Run Grace” Dean called. Bartholomew dropped his knife and I picked it up before running. I didn’t know Lawrence much but I was hopeful that Bartholomew didn’t take the time to stroll the streets either. I hid the blade in my sleeve and headed down the streets, turning off into an alley, out of the line of sight. Lawrence actually had a few alleys and streets, it was the ideal playground for me. I hadn’t seen Bartholomew in a long time but I didn’t stop. I slowed to conserve some energy, finding myself lost through the back alleys. Bartholomew wandered by the entrance, making me duck behind some bins. I could feel him stop, scanning the alley,

“I know you’re near” I heard his voice call out, “I can feel you” I stayed down, “Come out. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be” I could hear his footsteps getting closer, “Your father will be very disappointed” I narrowed my eyes at him. It wasn’t enough that he badly mimicked my mother in a dream to get information but now he’s going to talk about my dad like he wants me to get caught. I wanted to hurt him. I was tempted to take the blade and stab him but I wouldn’t even get close enough. Bartholomew would see it coming. He wandered passed the bins and I slipped out by him as quietly as I could, sneaking down the ally I’d just come from. After a little more sneaking, I started running, not wanting to get caught in the small space but he appeared in front of me, right at the other side of the alley. I stopped, turning back and running the other way, “You’ve got nowhere else to go Grace” The other side was blocked by two angels. I backed away from them but they didn’t seem to advance,

“Watch me” I hissed out as I started running full speed at them. The angels seemed to prepare themselves for a direct hit but I was just building up the speed to wall run, running high enough to get over them, landing on the other side. I didn’t stop there. Bartholomew pursued me a lot closer than the other angels did, they seemed a lot more cautious near me. I could hear him yelling after me over the roar of the cars as I made it to the main road. I watched the cars for a while, I had to time it right or it could all go bad. I found my opening and dashed over the road, running out in front of two cars and just skimming over the front of a third. The last stopped in time. Meanwhile, Bartholomew was hit. Though I was aware it wouldn’t do any lasting damage, it sure did mess up that nice suit and hairdo. More importantly it bought me time. Time for what? I don’t know. I could run, he’ll pursue me. I could find Sam and Dean, if they’re alive. I figured my best bet was to do as I did for the demons and blend in with the crowd. There was a market up. I headed towards it, rushing over another street, slightly less busy this time. I slowed to a stop, planting myself in a group. The angels slowed and stopped, wandering into the crowd. They split up as they shuffled through. I was more worried about Bartholomew than the other two, I could probably intimidate them. I scanned for any exits when I noticed a classic black car in the parking lot. I know that car. From the looks of it, they were still in the car, the tail lights were on so it was running though the back window was broken, looks like one of the boys was thrown through it. I just needed to get across to the parking lot. I noticed some elderly woman with a lot of shopping bags, figuring that was my best option. “Here, let me help you with those” I smiled politely at her. She smiled back, handing me the bags,

“Oh, you’re too kind my dear” She said,

“It’s no trouble at all” I said back, smiling the whole way. The old woman was a slow walker but if I hunched over enough, she could cover me to the parking lot. She talked to me too so it seemed natural for me to hunch like I did so I could hear her and she seemed happy to talk the whole way. I managed to get into the parking lot and even put the bags in her car. I waved her off and went towards the boys’ car. I was so close when something like a huge brick made contact with my cheek. I staggered to the side, turning swiftly to protect myself, only for the person to grab me by the throat. Bartholomew. As soon as I recognised him, my eyes narrowed. He pulled me close so my back was to his chest, still with a hand around my neck. He had me face the car as the boys got out to fight,

“So close” I could hear him smile, “And yet you never stood a chance” And like that, we zapped back into the building. My dad was still there, being held down on his knees by another angel. Blood was starting to pour out of his mouth a little. He seemed tired then he perked up when he saw me again,

“Grace” He fought to stand but the other angel forced him back down, practically using all his weight to keep him there,

“I warned you Castiel” Bartholomew brandished a knife, “You won’t comply then you are just another threat that needs to be dealt with” By now I knew my chances were better. Not only was I so close but he couldn’t even see my arms. I looked at my dad, unable to stop a mischievous tug at my lips. He looked at me, eyebrows puckered with concern. The knife slipped easily from my sleeve and into my hand where I twirled it to point back and stabbed it into Bartholomew’s thigh. Considering it was my left hand, it was probably the same leg I had stabbed last time too. His grip weakened as he yelled and I pulled the knife out, pulling out of his grip. He put his hand on his leg and took it away to see the blood, I could see it glow blue,

“Don’t you ever impersonate my mother again” I punched him across the face so hard I think I broke my hand. He fell to the ground and I held my hand in pain. From the punch to the face I’d received, there was some blood pooling in my mouth. I spat it on him, really wishing I could do more. Finally I turned to my dad. My dad practically shrugged the angel off. The angel was so surprised he just let dad go and stepped away, “Worth it” I winced, my voice now a whisper. I gave a slow hiss of breath, hoping the pain would dull soon. I dropped the blade, it clanged loudly on the ground and dad pulled me close, kissing my forehead,

“I don’t think it was” He said before taking my shoulder to lead me out. There were two angels by the door, kinda standing there like doormen. I just saw movement in the corner of my eye as Bartholomew was getting up again but my dad was quicker, grabbing his wrist that carried the knife and plunging it into his chest. I hadn’t even turned around fast enough to see him about to stab one of us. The two angels just stepped aside, allowing us to walk away. I still held my wrist and my dad held his hand over it as a glow washed over my fist. The pain disappeared as we walked back through the room full of angels, most of them staring at us as we left. No one followed, I don’t think any of them dared. When we walked out together, Dean and Sam were in the street, trying to figure out how to get in and out with me and possibly dad without getting killed,

“You look a little lost” I said,

“Really?” Dean gave me a look, I had to chuckle at it, “Come on, let’s get back. Unless you want to get caught again”


	13. Chapter 13

“Kevin’s dead?” I asked, not believing the information that came from their mouths. They had me sitting across from them at the table in the library. Dean looked down at his hands, the pair had really guilty looks. I looked down at the table in front of me, trying to formulate how that even happened. Finally my mouth started to work again, “H-how?”

“An angel” Dean said,

“It was my fault” Sam said at the same time Dean was explaining,

“No it wasn’t” Dean said, “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine”

“I don’t want to hear who’s fault it is. I want to know what happened? How did an angel get in here without being invited? Who was it?” My tone taking a harsher turn to it. I hardly listened to the blame game, they blamed themselves for everything. I bet they probably blamed themselves for me getting kidnapped,

“You asked me about how Sam recovered so quickly, the truth is he didn’t” I furrowed my eyebrows, “An angel was possessing him, healing him from the inside. I had to trick Sam into it or he was going to die”

“Who? Who was this angel? How could you trust them?”

“I was desperate” Dean said, “Sam was in the hospital, dying. Cas wasn’t responding to any prayers either, all the angels had fallen. He came to me, told me his name was Ezekiel and that he wanted to help and he was” I looked back at him as he paused again, “It turns out though he was working for Metatron and since Kevin was the only one who could find a way to fix this, he had that angel take full control of Sam and kill him” I looked away again as my eyesight went a little blurry. I got up, avoiding all contact and heading straight to my room, rushing past even my dad. I locked my bedroom door and stayed there for most of the day. It was eventually my mum to coax me into unlocking the door. I could smell food from a plate she’d brought since I hadn’t come out for dinner. I smelt the pizza before actually hearing a knock on the door,

“Grace?” She called through the door. I didn’t answer. I heard her sigh, “Can you let me in? I’d like to talk to you” I looked at the door and after about five minutes, I realised she wasn’t leaving. I got up to unlock and open the door but I turned my back immediately and walked back to my bed as she entered. She closed the door behind her, putting the plate of pizza on my bedside table before sitting down beside me. “Grace?” I didn’t respond, “Grace look at me” I slowly turned to face her, my eyes dragging themselves to meet hers. Her eyes were brown, a rich, soft brown that spoke volumes. Without her even saying a word, her eyes had already spoken to me and my bottom lip started to quiver. She pulled me to her as a sob came up, “I know honey, I know” I hugged her tight as the pain just seemed to gush out of me in big long streams, racking through my body like a swarm of bees as they stung my chest and throat to escape,

“Kevin didn’t deserve it” I said, muffled slightly with my face in her hair. She kissed the side of my head,

“No he didn’t. I know he was a close friend”

“Damn Metatron, he’s ruining everything. Angels are killing each other, they’ve went after me, they’ve went after dad and now Kevin”

“Shh” My mum was rubbing my back and I was starting to feel really tired, “Eat something, rest” I nodded and took maybe a couple pizza slices before conking out on the bed. Exhausted from all the emotions that had been held up in my chest.

Castiel was lying awake in the bed, his arm was wrapped around his beloved wife Emily. He didn’t actually need to sleep since he was an angel but he loved being next to her, even if she wasn’t awake and she always snuggled into his warmth. He was staring up at the ceiling, moonlight from the window illuminated the ghost of a smile on his face. He was happy with this family, very happy that was until the light next to him started to flicker. He looked at it, the smile disappearing quickly. His mind alert as he started to hear noise from across the hall. It sounded like crying but it wasn’t her usual cries, something was wrong,

“Grace” Castiel sat up quick enough that Emily felt it and actually woke up too,

“Cas? What’s wrong?” She asked, getting up too when she saw him rush out into another room. This room had a little girl sitting in her bed, she couldn’t be more than four years old and she was crying a lot. It wasn’t loud wails but she was holding her head,

“Grace” Cas pulled his daughter to his chest. Emily too reacted protectively when she saw her. Even if she didn’t know what was causing her to cry, she knew it wasn’t from loneliness. She sat on the opposite side of her and held one of her hands,

“They’re so loud” Grace cried, “They’re so angry”

“Cas, what’s happening to her?” Emily asked,

“They've found her” Cas said before placing his hand in her hair, a gentle blue glow emanated from each of his fingertips and her crying quietened and she fell asleep in his arms, “We need to hide her from them, I must stop them from informing the rest of heaven. If they do, they will all be hunting her” His finger lightly traced shapes on her forehead that barely lit up before vanishing completely. Castiel looked back up at his wife and they both shared a look of worry, “This won’t last forever” He said, “One day they will find her”

“I know” Emily nodded, “I just hope she’s old enough to defend herself by then, I want her to have a real childhood Cas”

“I know. Me too” He was holding the young girl in his arms and though she was asleep, her little arms started to wrap around his neck. “I'll deal with the angels”

I woke up to this splitting headache. It was hard to tell the cause of it but as I sat up, I felt really dizzy. I think I was going to be sick. There was so much shouting in my head, it hurt so much. What do I do? I was in my room, on my own. The light beside me started to flicker and I stood up and crashed into my wall. I stumbled out into the hallway, being too dizzy to walk straight and crashing into the wall there too. I went to the library initially to find someone but then I took up my pencil and paper and wrote,

“Grace” My mother recognised the way I wrote. I ran out of paper and just held my head in both hands, squeezing on it,

“Shut up” I mutter to my head. I dropped my head and it ended up hitting against the table, hard. My mum appeared beside me to see if I was ok,

“Grace! What are you doing?” She grabbed me, unaware of any screaming and shouting. I wrapped my arms around my head but inevitably I dropped it again, hitting the table again,

“Stop it” I yelled, “Stop it”

“Grace” She said, “Your hurting yourself” She pulled me away from the table. I held my head again, squeezing my eyes shut,

“They won't shut up!!” I screamed, struggling in her grip, “Make them stop it. STOP IT!!!!” My screams brought more attention as Dean came in from the kitchen. He helped to restrain me,

“Grace, hey. Calm down, ok? Calm down” I was pulled close to him, enough so I didn't have room for movement and by now we were on the floor. I couldn't struggle against his grip, it was too strong so I just put my hands to my ears,

“They're too loud” I whined,

“Who are?”

“The voices” Tears fell down my cheeks, “Please make them stop” My eyes squeezed tight and the hold that restrained me softened into a warm hug. I was pulled close, one hand rubbing my arm up and down in hopes of calming me. It wasn't. The voices never stopped shouting, banging my head was the only kind of relief. They must want me to go crazy because they won't stop fighting. Stop it. By now, Dean's grip loosened. He thought I'd calmed down enough. I pulled out of his grip crawled to the table, leaning back against the table leg. I let out a whine as they continued to shout. I couldn’t understand the shouting, it was all in enochian. Next thing I know, Dean was pinning me to the ground again,

“Grace what the hell are you doing?” He shouted at me,

“It hurts” I yelled back, “It won’t stop” Dean looked to my mum,

“Get Cas” He said and she got up off the floor, “Grace, I need you to calm down ok? I’m gonna let you up but if you start banging your head again, I’ll keep a hold of you. Understand?” I nodded, “Good” He let go of my hands and they immediately shot to my ears, not that that did me any good. It was in my head, not an external sound. My eyes clamped shut and it wasn’t until I was turned onto my back that I opened them again. I saw my dad holding me,

“Grace, what’s happening?” His blue eyes scanned me for the source of agony on my face,

“They’re so loud” I whimpered, closing my eyes again and rolling onto my side, “They’re arguing” I felt a hand in my hair before a warmth coated my senses and pain receptors. The shouting was there but it wasn’t sore. Finally, I passed out.

I woke up with a pair of hands on my head, my body was still coated with warmth but I had too much energy to sleep. I opened my eyes and I could see my dad. It looked like he was racking my brain for a problem, I could feel a presence shifting in my head, searching for the voices that were driving me mad,

“They’re gone” I said, “I can’t hear them anymore”

“I know” My dad mumbled, barely audible, only half hearted. I wasn’t sure he heard what I said. It was strange having this presence in my head, I could feel it moving around before it finally withdrew. When it did, the warmth retreated with it, leaving me with a sudden chill up my spine. I sat up from the sofa, only just realising that I had been moved. My mum looked to my dad,

“So, is that it then? They can’t get in anymore?” Her voice was hushed but I still heard it. My dad nodded,

“She won’t be able to hear whoever’s been communicating with her but it won’t stop them trying to break through” Dean was still in the room, staring down at the table top intently. I thought he was avoiding having to talk about what just happened, I wouldn’t put it passed him. For someone who fights for free will, he doesn’t speak his mind much. He looked up at my dad as he approached and they both looked at the table. I stood up and noticed the paper I wrote on. I noticed it wasn’t the same phrase over and over like it usually is. This was something else. I looked up at my dad’s face as he read it but it was stoic. I couldn’t figure him out. Dean was also trying to read my dad with similar results. My dad looked up at me when he was finished then at Dean,

“Well?”

“Two voices. One calls the other a liar. The second spouts threats back. The vocabulary seems familiar, I may be able to identify this one” He went silent again. I hate it when he does that. The conversation ended and we all started to disperse. Dean went back to the kitchen. My mum left the room and it was just me and my dad. Still silence,

“I think I have a right to know what's happening in my own head” I said,

“If I knew, I would tell you” He never looked up from the writing. I got up and sat across from my dad, looking over at him. When he glanced up at me, he could probably tell I didn't accept that answer. He turned his full attention to me now, still standing over the table,

“Who is Metatron?” I asked. My dad paused,

“He was the scribe of God. The one who wrote the tablets”

“How did he make all the angels fall?”

“He came to me saying he could seal all the angels into heaven so we could stop the conflict between the factions using three trials”

“Did you do them?”

“The first trial was to retrieve a Nephilim's heart”

“That's what Crowley wanted from me”

“Exactly” My dad nodded, “He had a partnership with Crowley to retrieve the parts for his spell. A Nephilim's heart, a cupid's bow… and an angel's grace”

“That's why you were human. Wasn't it?” My dad nodded,

“Naomi told me she neutralised him. When I went to see her, she was dead and he had broken out. Why the sudden interest?”

“I'm tired of not knowing things. You all seem keen to preserve my innocence even though I've been kidnapped and tortured by demons already, I’ve been chased and caught by angels and even stabbed one. Twice. You're not preserving anything is what I'm saying. If anything not knowing will get me into more trouble”

“Bartholomew is dead. Malachi's faction is gone. As far as I know, no one is hunting you”

“That you know. I don't know who's a threat and who's not. As far as I know, most of the angels still want me dead”

“Not now. Right now, they just want to go home” The conversation ended when my dad walked away. I'll find a way to weasel some information out of him. For now I stayed at the bunker, again my dad was out there trying to fix everything and now Dean has been acting weird. It has been like that ever since I came back, I thought it was grief from losing Kevin but I quickly realised it was darker than that. I got scared near Dean which I’ve never done before. Finally I worked up the courage to grab his right arm and pull up his sleeve to reveal a strange looking mark. It looked like a burn or something but it gave off this horrible vibe, like death,

“Waw, you really are a lot like Cas” Dean mumbled, “He did the exact same thing when I first got it”

“What is it? And why does it feel so horrible?”

“It’s nothing” He said, about to wander away but I tugged at his arm again, pulling him back. His face went serious as I glared at him,

“If you lie to me again I will punch you” I warned, “It’s certainly something if this small thing scares the crap out of me” Sam was walking in by then and paused in the doorway as me and Dean were staring each other down, “Dean. What. Is. It.” I said firmly, narrowing my eyes at him,

“The Mark of Cain” He said, “The one thing that will kill a certain demon we’ve been hunting. Maybe Metatron too”

“You’ve killed demons before”

“Low level demons. This one is a knight of hell and bad news so yeah, this ain’t something you need to worry about. We’ve got it covered”

“Too late for that” I did not feel any better about that mark. In fact I got a lot worse about it. It felt like it was growing, everyday I felt a wave of panic at increasing levels of stress every time Dean walked into the same room as me. I essentially left the bunker and went walking again to the town. Sure I was scared to leave the bunker but I was much more scared of what was inside it. I didn’t make it halfway to the town before I broke down. I fell to my knees with an anguished scream. I didn’t feel safe anywhere. I don’t care how scary their world is, I just don’t want to be kept in the dark, especially about this. Dean said it’s nothing to worry about but I know he’s lying because I saw the look in Sam’s eyes when he said that. I may not have paid much attention in Sunday school but I know about Cain, that he was the first ever murderer so that too scared the crap out of me. Dean had something on his arm that originated from the father of murder himself. My eyes leaked because I just didn’t know how to handle this situation. The bunker had been my refuge for months and now I don’t feel safe there. I sat there for ages. My mum was even driving back from work. She stopped when she saw me and got out,

“Gracie? Everything ok?” She asked but I didn’t say anything, “Come on. Get in, I’ll give you a ride back to the bunker” I sat in the passenger seat as she got driving again,

“Mum? Do you notice anything different about Dean recently?” I asked,

“No, not really. Why?”

“No reason” I turned my head to look out the window, probably looking really pathetic but it was enough to make my mum not ask anything more. I got out and headed straight to my room, having to take the long way around when I saw Dean in one of the hallways. I ducked into my room as fast as I could, locking my door before sliding down to the floor. I had to settle my heart rate. It was getting super hard to live here and being confined to my room was killing me. Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to finish a meal in the kitchen because Dean would walk in. I didn’t want to be rude towards him, he’s still my friend, but I’d have to excuse myself. I lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling when there was a knock on my door. I sat up and felt the dark presence behind it,

“Hey Grace, you there?” I decided to play dumb. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to let him into my room,

“Huh?” I asked tiredly, “What’s up?”

“Well Sam’s looking for you. Also Cas is back” I perked up at that,

“Ok, I’ll be out in a minute” I said and gave him enough time to walk away. Finally I left the room. I was heading into the main room when I heard Sam,

“Guys!” He yelled urgently and I ducked behind the wall as a stranger walked into the room,

“I’m not here to fight” He said, putting his hands up in surrender. I peeked around the corner at him where he was facing Dean and my dad, “I thought about what you said” He directed towards my dad, “You’re right. Metatron he’s… something needs to be done”

“And we should trust you why?” Sam asked, I detected a hint of rage in his voice, this was personal. Perhaps this was Ezekiel,

“Because I can give him to you. I know where Metatron is, I know everything” He looked back at my dad, “I know the bombers they… they were his agents, not yours” The boys looked at my dad and he lowered his head, “You don’t trust me, fine. I understand I’ve… made mistakes but haven’t you? Haven’t we all? At least give me a chance” There was a pause. Sam seemed to be wavering. When Dean looked to him, he gave him a look back. I’ve seen enough of those to know they were making a decision to trust him. Dean took a few steps towards the angel then held out his hand. The angel took it and it seemed they were going to take a chance on him. I was going to come out of my hiding space when Dean came out with this blade and sliced the angel’s chest. It was so sudden and both Sam and my dad rushed to hold him back. I was standing there paralysed for a while, that look in Dean’s eyes terrified me as he fought to get at the angel. He was something else, angry, out of control. The angel's chest glowed blue at the site of the damage, spilling blood over the floor. Sam and my dad took Dean away and the angel mustered up the strength to flee though he didn’t look like he’d get far with the amount of blood he was losing. He rushed to the garage and took the first car he could find. I snuck into the back seat as he drove off. Once clear of the building I made myself known,

“Stop the car” I ordered. He jumped and swerved on seeing me but he did as I told him. He was weak and losing blood fast, he’d pass out soon. He got out of the car and backed away from me,

“I’m sorry, I won’t bother you again just…” He dropped down now and I wandered over to him. I froze as I heard this voice in my head, echoing about,

“Hello, this is Metatron” It said and made me feel rage. There was a pause and a faint sound of arguing until he continued. This time a lot less echoey, “I’d like to take a moment to welcome you all back. I want you to know how moved I am that you’ve accepted me as your new God” I grit my teeth at that. The angel in front of me was still lying in the grass with a little wince, “My heart, as they say, is full. Which is why I want to share some wonderful news with you. I’m going on a short trip, heaven’s door will be temporarily closed pending my return, but rest assured, all will be explained. And it will be… glorious” There was silence after that and then suddenly sound rasped into my ears again and I held my head at the headache. Finally I sat down in the grass, taking breaths before looking at the dying angel next to me. He didn’t have the strength to sit up and was now looking at me tiredly as he fought for consciousness,

“Were you the one that possessed Sam? The one that killed Kevin?” He nodded, dragging himself back from me but I caught up to him. His wound was long and deep but I held my hand over it and it started to glow and the wound closed up,

“But… I thought you hated me?”

“I hate Metatron more. Besides, I don’t wish a death like that on anyone” I helped him up, “Dean scares me too”

“I thought that…”

“You thought wrong” I said, “My dad made the same mistake as you. I can hardly blame you for trusting the wrong person. I’m still upset about Kevin’s murder don’t get me wrong. You'll still have to earn my forgiveness”

“I am Gadreel. Who are you?” He asked,

“I’m Grace” I held out my hand and he shook it. Before long I noticed another car came speeding out of the bunker towards us. It only contained Sam and my dad, I don’t know about Dean. I looked at my watch, “Took you long enough” I said to Sam as he got out, “If I hadn’t have followed him, he could have bled out by the time it took you”

“Grace, you know he’s…”

“Yes, I know who he is but he was dying and he's the only way to get to Metatron” My dad looked at Gadreel,

“Will you help?” He asked. Gadreel still nodded. My dad turned to me, “Grace”

“I’m not going back to the bunker unless you are. This has just given me a whole new reason to avoid Dean and I’ve been doing it for weeks”

“I’ve noticed” Sam said, “But this is dangerous”

“So are you and Dean but somehow I'm allowed to live under the same roof as you” I folded my arms,

“Ok, we're heading back anyway, come on” I walked by them and sat in the car. It took a little talk between Sam and my dad but eventually both dad and Gadreel sat in the car and drove off, Sam sat next to me.


	14. Chapter 14

We were back at the bunker again but this time Dean wasn’t there. I was on edge going in, this dark presence had rubbed off on everything in there, it made it hard to focus on what was going on. Though as we headed into the library, there was a box sitting open on the table. Sam rushed over to it,

“Oh no”

“What’s that smell?” Gadreel asked. I had to admit it did smell a bit like rotten eggs,

“Sulfur” Sam sighed, “Dammit Crowley” I froze. Demons. However Dean wasn’t here, I could tell. There's a certain tension when he is near, there isn't now,

“He’s gone” I said when my dad was about to go off and check the bunker,

“You can tell?” He asked,

“It’s a little hard not to when everything he touches turns all dark. I can follow his trail like a bloodhound” I shivered at the thought of what’s happening to Dean, “It just keeps getting worse. Last thing he touched was that door handle” I pointed to the bunker’s front door. I looked to see Sam on his phone,

“Dean, pick up the phone. Call me back. I’m not kidding alright? Don’t do this. Not like this” Sam was dead serious, much more serious than I’ve ever seen him. I had to be part of this, it was far too dire not to be involved.

“Are you sure it was Crowley?” Dad asked,

“Who else would he summon? I mean, him and Crowley have been bromancing over the blade since Dean got the Mark”

“The Mark?” Gadreel asked,

“The Mark of Cain”

“So that’s what Dean cut me with. The First Blade” Dad nodded, so did Sam, “In a way that could be useful”

“Really?” I asked. Not really knowing what the First Blade is. But if it’s associated with the Mark, my best guess is it was Cain’s too,

“Well Metatron’s more powerful than ever but if Dean has the First Blade and the Mark, that might give us our best chance”

“You’re joking right?” Sam asked, “An hour ago we were ready to throw Dean into a padded cell and now you say he’s our best chance?”

“Hear him out Sam” Dad said,

“Oh right, excuse me. Sorry guys. Sorry I’m a little less than eager to hear that our best chance is arming the warhead and hoping it hits the mark. This is not a bomb we’re talking about, this is my brother”

“Can we hear the plan before we shoot it down?” I looked to Sam and he gave me a bitchface, “You’re right, this isn’t a bomb. This is a human being. Despite all that’s happening to him, he’s still capable of some reason right?” Sam sighed,

“I believe Metatron has found a way to tap into the angel tablet” Gadreel said, “Harnessing its power to give him powers equivalent to…”

“God right?” Sam continued, “I mean, that’s what all this is about isn’t it? Metatron wants to be God”

“So you’re saying that, you’re essentially fighting against a god?” I asked. Both angels dropped eye contact, unable to lie to me. I gave a sigh, “So that would make him unstoppable”

“Not if we break the connection between him and the tablet” Dad said, “That would make him just an ordinary angel. Where is the tablet?”

“Metatron’s office”

“In heaven?” Sam asked,

“I can get us to the door” Gadreel said,

“And then what?” Sam asked, “I mean, why would they let you in? If Metatron’s number two shows up with heaven’s most wanted the gig is up” I paused at that,

“You think so?” I said,

“Yeah, why? You think differently?”

“Well heaven’s most wanted and heaven’s second in command, that would be the best way to get in”

“If we get caught, we go to heaven’s jail. From there, there is no escape” Gadreel said, “Believe me, I know. I’ve been there a long time” I looked up at him, only realising the absolute fear in his face. He was taking a huge risk with us, he feared going to that place after what he has done to earn his place in heaven,

“But if you take my dad in as a prisoner, who’s to stop you? I doubt anyone’s ever actually broken into heaven that way, they wouldn’t expect it”

“She’s right” My dad agreed,

“I guess I’ll take the ‘bloodhound’ then and track Dean down” Sam looked at me. I wanted to help but neither side sounded particularly fun. I don’t think it would be as believable if Gadreel showed up having caught heaven’s most wanted and a Nephilim on his own and I can be very useful in tracking down Dean. I really didn’t want to be near Dean though. I sighed,

“Fine” I said and so it was settled. Sam went to work, trying to find Dean while my dad was preparing to sneak into heaven. Gadreel and I had a little time to kill, “You said you’ve been in heaven’s jail” I said to him while we were sitting alone in the library,

“I was a sentry in the Garden of Eden” He said, “When the serpent invaded the garden and tempted the first humans, the blame fell on me”

“So you’ve been in jail since the beginning” I said and he nodded, “How’d you get out?”

“Metatron’s spell ejected every angel from heaven, including me and the other prisoners”

“I never thought that a place like heaven would have a jail” I furrowed my eyebrows, tilting my head a little,

“It is not a nice place” Gadreel shifted in his chair, turning his attention to Sam in the next room, who was leaning over his laptop,

“You’re afraid of it” I said though it didn’t seem like he’d heard me, “Pff, you’re pretty brave”

“Brave?” He chuckled, “I thought I was afraid”

“Not being afraid isn’t brave” I replied, “Not being afraid is stupid. You think I wasn’t afraid when I stabbed Bartholomew in the car? I was pissed but I was also terrified”

“You have a different way of looking at things” Gadreel said, shifting in his seat to look back at me. I raised my eyebrows, “You asked if I was the one to kill your friend then healed me anyway. You asked me about prison instead of acting as if I were guilty” I shrugged,

“Believe it or not but a lot of people don’t like seeing someone bleed out, despite what they’ve done. I’m not like Sam and Dean, I’ve never killed anyone” Gadreel smiled and I had to smirk a little too. I don’t think Gadreel is bad. I’ve been around a lot of people, good and bad. I haven’t seen anything malicious in Gadreel. Even Sam and Dean have a grey area but Gadreel just looks lost. It’s like he doesn’t belong there, he was designed to take orders, not decide good from bad. Sam stood up,

“Grace, I’ve got a lead, let’s go” He took his coat and I got up,

“Good luck” Gadreel said,

“You too” I said over my shoulder before I left. Sam drove to Indiana, following a video that went viral of Metatron healing someone that got hit by a car. The car ride was silent and I had plenty of time to think. I snuck a glance at Sam then looked away when he turned to me,

“What?” He asked, “Something wrong?” I sighed,

“I’m sorry” I said,

“For what?”

“I knew Dean was getting worse. I could feel it every day, growing. The Mark grew stronger and his presence grew darker. I know I was the only one who could feel it too, you and my mum never seemed to notice. I never thought he’d get as bad as this but… I should have told you”

“Hey, you didn’t know he’d get like this. It’s not your fault, you have nothing to apologise for”

“Yeah but I was the only one who could tell. I feel like I was responsible for keeping an eye but I just couldn’t be near him. I couldn’t stand to even be in the same room”

“I noticed. Listen, you aren’t responsible for keeping an eye on Dean. This isn’t on you” Sam put his hand on my shoulder, “Besides, you still were indicating that something was seriously wrong with him”

“I still feel guilty” I said, “I think I’ve been hanging around you too long. You two get guilty for a baby crying” Sam chuckled,

“Yeah, well. Often our mistakes cost lives, guilt makes sure we don’t make those mistakes” Already entering the town, something felt off,

“Well, he’s in town” I said with a sigh,

“Crowley’s probably got all his demons on it already” He drove up to the place the woman lived though I stayed behind because I could feel Dean approaching. Sam knew it too and once the chat was over, the woman left her trailer house and he waited outside for his brother to come up. Finally that familiar impala drove up and I felt oddly comforted by it. Despite the Mark’s influence on Dean, that car has stayed pure, all the memories and experiences has stopped it being corrupted like everything else Dean’s touched. Dean got out to talk to Sam and I saw Crowley in the passenger seat. I got out of Sam’s car while Crowley also got out of the impala and we stared each other down. I haven’t seen Crowley since he kidnapped me almost four months ago. While Sam and Dean were bickering between themselves, Crowley had come up to me,

“Grace” He acknowledged, turning to watch the boys fight,

“Crowley” I replied, giving him death stares,

“No hard feelings right?” He asked, his gaze still with the boys and his face stoic, not looking like he was joking. I gave a single snort,

“Sure, you only kidnapped me and my mother and tried to rip out my heart”

“For me that’s a very minor offence” He said, “Still, I had hoped to at least have a chat before Squirrel and Moose showed up with their pet angel” I stumped hard on his foot and he gave a wince,

“That’s my dad you’re talking about” I growled lowly at him, my eyes were glowing a little, I could feel it. Crowley didn’t look threatened,

“You wanna scare me you gotta work harder than that. I rule over literal hell. I cuddle up with those dogs that went after you. Your little nightmares are nothing in comparison” He walked towards the Winchesters with a slight limp,

“You realise what he said in her ear right?” Sam was talking to Dean, “His next stop”

“So what are we all gollywagging on about? Chop-chop” The boys just gave him a look and I smirked at that, “Excuse me. I’m not exactly demon minion number three here. As the kids say I’ve got mad skillz”

“I don’t know what you expect here ok? I don’t really care” Dean said, “But you wanted off the hamster wheel. Get off” Crowley nodded,

“Well… guess I’ve been Winchestered” He said, “I’d wish you boys good luck if I thought it would help” And like that he was gone. Dean then turned and saw me. His gaze made me tense a little,

“You should probably head back. We don’t know how this will end” He said. I gave a sigh,

“As per usual” I mumbled,

“What?”

“I came out to help Dean, with Gadreel and my dad in heaven trying to find that angel tablet I…” I froze as I heard a panic in my head. Someone was reaching out to me,

“Grace?” Sam asked, “You alright?”

“It didn’t work” I said as I held my head. I could hear Gadreel’s panic.

_No. Not here. Anywhere but here._

“What didn’t work?” Dean asked,

“They’re in the jail” I said and both the boys knew what that meant, “We can’t go after Metatron until his link from the angel tablet has been severed”

“But how can we help? We can’t get to heaven” Sam said,

“We’ll have to hope that the Mark and the First Blade is enough” Dean said. I shook my head,

“It won’t be”

“It has to be” Dean said firmly,

_Heaven’s gate. Where is heaven’s gate?_

A picture formed in my head of a playground. I could see a sandpit in the middle with some weird looking symbol drawn in it. It didn’t look like a 3 year old messing about, this was purposefully drawn in the sand. There were two people in the park. A woman reading a newspaper and a young girl on the swings but they were both angels,

“Grace?! Did you hear what I said?” Dean snapped me out of it, “Go on, back to the bunker, we’ll call you when it’s all over”

“Ok” I said and teleported away but not to the bunker. I appeared right at that playground. First try too. I watched it from across the street. The angels were guarding it and I didn't know how it worked so all I could do was stare from afar. I closed my eyes and thought of Gadreel,

_How does it work?_

I could see a new picture in my mind of Gadreel approaching the sandpit with my dad in handcuffs. Once they were within proximity, a grey and blue cloud appeared, no higher than their knees. They stepped in it and it quickly engulfed them. I opened my eyes again and saw the two angels guarding it. The woman sat on the park bench with her back to me but the little girl sat on the swing facing me. I would have to come in from the sides. I still had buildings to use as cover and considering I’ve had a lot of practice free running, running from both demons and angels, I figured I could definitely outrun them if I needed to. I just had to get in close. It was like those documentaries, watching a lion having to get in close to its prey or it will miss its chance. Everything was silent, the angels were alert, looking around them. The little girl swung slowly on the swings, her eyes wide, ready to act if she needed to. The woman was a little more relaxed, looking down at a newspaper to act normal. I stayed low, scampering over the parking lot to the trees. The woman looked up from her newspaper at the movement and I froze. I was ducked down at the base of the tree as the angel stood up from the bench to look out. The little girl looked behind her,

“See something?” She asked. The woman was quiet, eyes scanning. I kept completely still, holding my breath. “Asariel” The girl pushed for an answer. Over time the angel relaxed and sat back down on the bench,

“No” She said, going back to her disguise and looking down at a newspaper. The little girl looked behind her again, looking for what alerted Asariel. I still didn’t move. She eventually moved her gaze away again and I was free to use the tree cover to move into position. No matter where I was, I was eventually going to have to move into their field of view to get to heaven’s gate. So, like any good savannah cat, I got as close as I could. The tree cover got me quite close and eventually I’d have to make a run for it. I was close to the swings, right behind the little girl. I’d need to be just fast enough to get to that sandpit. I looked to each angel one last time to see they weren’t focused on me. I took a breath and booked it to that sandpit. Both angels barely had any time to react when I was halfway to it. They leapt into action but the sandpit activated and I jumped into that grey smoke before either could grab me. I gave a sigh of relief but I didn’t have much time to celebrate. The gate put me into an elevator and when those elevator doors opened up, it was like an office room. There were several angels at desks with crummy looking wallpaper. For a couple seconds, the angels didn’t notice me but then they all turned to me,

“You know, I was expecting more fluffy clouds and huge gold gates. Definitely a lot more dead people” I said. All the angels jumped up from their desks and I immediately dipped into one of the hallways. I could hear rushed footsteps behind me so I kept running. After a while, the wallpaper disappeared and just white walls, floors and ceilings surrounded me. They were large corridors with doors everywhere. The words blurred as I rushed by them but I could guess they were probably peoples names. My breath came out of my mouth in spurts and the back of my throat became dry and sore. My legs could keep going but my chest burned. I couldn’t stop yet, I had far too many footsteps behind me. High heels on marble floor made for a real echo. Much better than my heavy duty boots that just flopped heavily. The corridors seemed to have no end but there were junctions at regular intervals. The rooms seemed to be organised in blocks. I dipped around a corner quickly and hid behind one of the doors. I closed it after me and just flopped onto the ground, huffing and spluttering for air. I wiped sweat from my skin and my eyes closed. How did I not think this far ahead? It was heaven, of course it was going to be full of angels. I rubbed at my eyes when I heard a noise near me. I hadn’t even taken in my surroundings. I was in a real person’s heaven, I wasn’t alone. This one appeared to be very trigger happy too. I saw down the barrel of his sawed off shotgun before I ever saw his face. It was close enough that I felt I was going cross eyed,

“Who are you?” A gruff voice demanded. I immediately flinched at the tone. My mouth fumbling to try and explain myself with a gun pointed at my head. Out of all the thoughts swirling in my head, the one that came out was,

“Is that real?” Why did I say that?! What if he goes to prove it by shooting me. But I was curious. This is heaven, a paradise, a place where no one feels all that pain, would it even work?

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Uh, I was running from angels” I still stared at the end of that gun. It didn’t move and it was the most daunting thing in the room,

“On foot?” I nodded, “In heaven?” I chuckled. That sounded so pointless didn’t it. Luckily, none of them seem to be flying around after me,

“I’m on a rescue mission” The gun dropped at that and I could finally see the older man in his baseball cap. I figured he’d have been younger since the soul doesn’t age but he just looked like a gruff old man. I was still sitting on the floor by his feet and the gun pointed to the ground next to me so I still didn’t feel all that safe,

“Rescuing who?”

“My dad from heaven’s jail”

“You’re a Nephilim” He stated more than asked. I slowly nodded, hoping he wouldn’t take that badly,

“You don’t happen to know where the jail is do you?” I raised my eyebrows. A smile flashed over his face for half a second before a long sigh, leaning his head down so I couldn’t see his face. I saw his shoulders moving then I realised he was laughing,

“Ah kid, you remind me of a couple boys I used to know” He put out his hand to help me up, “I’m Bobby”

“Grace” I said once on my feet, “Are you a hunter?” He nodded,

“Yup. I was the one you called if you needed backup. Never got round to retiring” I tilted my head at him, squinting my eyes,

“How did you die?” The man pointed to his head,

“Bullet, right in the melon. Yeah, leviathans are nasty creatures but I’m sure my boys took care of ‘em”

“Considering I’ve never heard of them, I’m sure they have” I replied, “I know about most stuff from overhearing them. They want to protect my innocence” I rolled my eyes, “Didn’t work so well getting kidnapped by angels. Or demons”

“Well Grace, hunting isn’t so glamorous. Not something you just chat about”

“Well when they take it home with them, it’s my business too. Right now, I need to get to that jail and stay undetected” I looked back at the door, “The hallways are too open”

“Well, I don’t know where the jails are but, I know someone who might” He moved on and I took in the room I was in,

“Quite a nice heaven you’ve got” I noted as he moved from the living room to the kitchen. Bobby opened up the back door,

“You coming or what?” I started going but stopped in my tracks. On a desk was a picture frame. I picked it up and recognised Sam and Dean, leaning against the side of the impala. I looked back up at Bobby,

“You know Sam and Dean?” I asked. Bobby paused, closing the door again and wandering over to me. He quietly took the frame from my hands and put it back on the table. He looked back up at me,

“What’s your father’s name?” He asked. I tilted my head,

“Castiel” Bobby blinked, probably the most surprise I will see on that face. Part of him had come to that conclusion earlier in the conversation, I knew it,

“Last time I saw Cas, he was being overrun by leviathan. They took control of his body, then his vessel started melting” I furrowed my eyebrows,

“Well, clearly he survived”

“Clearly” Bobby nodded, “Perhaps he didn’t” He turned back to the door in the kitchen, “And God brought him back again”

“Again?” I asked, “How many times has he died?”

“More than anyone should” He wandered through the door and I rushed after him before the door closed. Suddenly we were in some kind of bar. There was another man sitting on his computer, “Hey Ash, could use your help here” The man looked up from his computer. His hair was long, longer than Sam’s and he wore sleeveless flannel so I knew he was a hunter too. That’s like hunter uniform. He immediately pointed at me,

“You must be the Nephilim they’re all freaking out about” He said. I raised an eyebrow,

“You can hear them?” I asked. He took a sip of his beer, his face scrunching up as he turned back to his computer, waving me over. I got up beside him and he pointed to the different frequencies on his monitor,

“Each of these are a different angel” He said. My eyes widened,

“You hacked into angel radio?”

“It’s all frequency, it’s just like hacking into any radio station. Don’t you hear them?”

“Only when they talk to me directly. My dad set up a firewall to stop certain voices” Ash put up a finger before isolating a couple frequencies. They both seemed to meld into one, both just as loud as each other, shouting,

“These ones have been none stop shouting at each other for weeks”

“They’re probably the ones. Made me want to split my own head open” I mumbled, “I need to get to the jail”

“Not a good move, they’ve got guards posted up waiting for you there”

“Then Metatron’s office. I need to get there before Dean picks a fight with the guy and gets himself killed”

“Hasn’t changed I guess” Ash said before heading to one of the doors of the bar and drawing sigils in white chalk. Once he finished, he turned to me, “Just to warn you, the angels can’t track these doors but you stick out like a beacon. I don’t know how long you’ll have until they find you so be quick” I nodded and went through the door. On the other side was quite an impressive looking office, like head angel. He was surrounded by bookcases, a large desk on the opposite side of the room from large double doors and a typewriter on it. There was paper still in the typewriter. I pulled it out and saw the paragraph of ink taking up half the page. I forgot my urgency when I got to the end of the page,

“He’s going to kill Dean. That’s his business on earth” The double doors burst open and I looked up. One singular angel. Unlike the others, she only wore a suit jacket. She had jeans with the bottom turned up and boots. The other angels wore only suits, I thought that was non-negotiable. Even my dad wears a suit under his trench coat. She stared at me silently for a second and I just stared back. She seemed different. I couldn’t exactly get why. Why was she so different? She didn’t alert anyone, she just stared at me with wide, startled eyes. I put the page on the front of the desk, facing her, “Have you read this?” I asked. Wrong move. As soon as I said anything, she called for backup,

“She’s in here!” Three more angels came in. I pulled out one of the drawers from the desk. There wasn’t anything of use in there so I pulled out the one below it. The angels advanced on me and I just threw the drawers at them, dodging as they lunged at me. I tried to run around the desk out the room but I was tackled to the ground. I immediately screamed, a high pitched noise shook the very office we were in as I struggled on the floor with one of the angels. He was heavy so really I didn’t see much of an option. I stopped struggling. He relaxed, I could feel his grip on my wrists relax. He looked up at the others and I suddenly pushed up from the ground. Him relaxing didn’t make him any lighter but it did put him off guard and when I unbalanced him, he fell back. I dove out of the way as another angel tried to pin me down and as I got up, a third rammed into me, hitting me up against the wall. I heard a snap. Like a loud sort of pop and I don’t know if it was the pain or the panic of being captured but I thrust my elbow out and hit the angel in the face. Blood gushed from his nose and he stumbled back. When I went for the exit though, the woman blocked my path, holding her angel blade. I looked at the blade, then at her. I held my shoulder tight, suddenly it felt so much worse than it had a couple seconds ago. I was finished, defeated. I couldn’t run and I couldn’t fight. I had to follow them. My shoulder burned and it really didn’t feel right. It could be swelling but I’m pretty sure it’s dislocated. I was led out the office and down the halls again, a blade poking my spine the whole way to the cells. I kept a record of corridors I was led down to get to the jails so I’d know the way if we ever got out.

“Grace?” I looked up at a familiar voice and saw my dad in one of the cells. He was still wearing handcuffs, obviously part of the ruse that never actually worked. He came over to the bars and peered out as we passed. He looked at me with a lot of concern, I couldn’t even manage a smile, I was in too much pain. I also passed Gadreel’s cell but he was sitting at the back of his cell, completely spaced out. I was put in a cell next to his and the door shut closed. I sat on the ground quietly, closing my eyes and breathing through the pain. A couple of boots stopped in front of the door. They only had a slight heel on them, more heavy duty, like mine. I brought my leg out from under me to show my own boots,

“Snap” I leaned my head back against the wall and looked up at her. It was that angel again. I think her eyes just naturally bulge out of her head like that. Her face had a permanent look of surprise. I closed my eyes and winced. My entire left side was on fire,

“You’re not healing” She said,

“No kidding” I spat. Breathing became a difficult task. It came out in bursts like when I was running except more like desperate gasps and I could feel the sweat soaking my hair. There was a rattle at the door and as I opened my eyes, I saw her coming in. Not like I could do much and she seemed confident that I wouldn’t rush by her. She hovered her hand over my shoulder, fingers spread wide and a bright light illuminated it. I heard another pop and the smallest yelp left my lips. I was expecting it to be much worse. My shoulder popping back into its socket, it even sounds worse but my shoulder had gone numb. I barely felt it. The numbness continued circling my shoulder and I took a breath, finally able to breathe normally. I wiped sweat from my brow and I realised how warm I was. When the numbness disappeared, I wasn’t sore anymore but I also was very wary about moving my arm again. The woman took her hand away once she’d finished healing me and I tilted my head at her. Why did she do that? I thought angels hated me. She didn’t respond and got up again, locking the cell door behind her. I stood up and wandered over to the bars, watching her leave. There was some quiet until I heard my dad again,

“Grace are you ok?”

“Yeah” I nodded, “But Dean won’t be if we don’t get out of here. I saw it on his typewriter, he’s going to kill him”

“There’s no way out from here”

“There has to be” I moved from the door to the back wall. I stood on the stone bench to test the strength of the bars at the back. Solid. I paused. There were a pair of eyes burning into the back of my skull and as I turned around, the angel was there again. She held that paper I set on the desk,

“Where did you get this?” She asked me. I jumped down from the bench and stood opposite her,

“Metatron’s office” I replied, “It was sitting right in the typewriter for anyone to see”

“It can’t have” I squinted my eyes,

“Well it was” I reached through the bars and pointed to the letters, “See that font, that’s typewriter font. Computers don’t have that much spacing between letters”

“Who’s to say that you didn’t just use the typewriter to write this”

“Are you kidding me?” I chuckled, “The only people who use typewriters now are dinosaurs. I don’t even know how to type on it”

“Dinosaurs can’t type. They weren’t around this technology” I rolled my eyes,

“It’s a metaphor for old people”

“Oh”

“Besides, I was looking for the angel tablet, why would I waste my time with typing that?” The angel folded it up and put it in her jacket pocket, “I just want to stop him from killing my friend. Is that unreasonable?”

“Dean Winchester has nearly caused as much damage to heaven as Castiel”

“I don’t doubt that, he’s as impulsive as golden retriever but he’s still a good man. Despite the whole… mark” I couldn’t stop myself shuddering as I trailed off. The angel didn’t sound convinced. She shook her head, turning on her heel and started walking away. I slammed at the barred door with both hands, “He’s going to kill another of my friends” She flinched when I did that, turning back to me, “And he’s going to get away with it” I muttered that part. I wandered back to try and weaken anything. I was determined not to lose anyone else, pacing the cell,

“Another?” I paused at the voice down the hall,

“Kevin Tran” I turned back, staring hotly at her now,

“The prophet” My dad elaborated, “He could read the tablet and over time might have found a counter to the spell”

“He lost sleep trying to figure it out, he didn’t stand a chance” I could hear the anger in my voice, there was no disguising it, “Kevin was a threat to his plans so now he’s dead”

“Surely so was Castiel and the rest of us” I shook my head,

“Did you see his office? The books? The vintage typewriter?” The angel tilted her head at me, “He thinks himself a writer. You saw his perfect ending. He defeats Dean in a final showdown, he’ll come out on top as the hero. Every hero needs a villain” I sat down on the bench now, bringing my feet up on it too and leaning my back against the side wall, “The way he sees it, he liberated you from the big bad guy and brought you all here to keep you safe, you will forever be in his debt. The baddy gets locked up along with his traitorous sidekick” The angel sighed, shaking her head,

“Why should I even listen to anything you have to say?” She asked,

“You came” I glared at the wall in front of me heatedly. Really I had no business being angry at her, she had healed me but I was in a foul mood. We'd lost, “You asked, I answered”

“There is no proof”

“Then don’t believe me, see if I care” I shot back, shooting my gaze to her. She eyed me for a few silent seconds. Really I was angry at myself. I shouldn’t have got distracted, I should have found the angel tablet. Now Dean is going to die. My eyes flickered to the floor. Sam is going to lose his brother, there is nothing we can do.


	15. Chapter 15

We’ve been sitting there for a while now. I was bored and when I’m bored, that’s when I start to draw or hum or something. Well, I didn’t have anything to draw on, no voices in my head to give me enochian to write. My humming turned to murmured lyrics,

“Heeeey brother, do you still believe in one another” I found myself singing softly, “Heeeey sister, do you still believe in love I wonder? Ooh, if the sky comes falling down, for you, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do” If I had my guitar it would probably sound a lot better,

“What are you doing Grace?” I heard my dad ask,

“I’m bored” I said, “Hey why didn’t I get a brother. I feel like I’d be an amazing big sister” I heard a small chuckle from my dad, “I’m serious. I have plenty of wisdom to pass on”

“I don’t doubt it”

“I could teach him guitar. I taught myself how to ride a bike so he can do that himself too. He should know parkour, it was super useful. Especially if we were going to have more trouble with angels” A yawn left my mouth before I could say more. It had been a day and a very long week. That angel was still hanging around. I could see her shadow. She was talking with my dad earlier about Metatron setting him up but they’d went quiet a while ago. Silence again. I was starting to nod off when I finally heard some noise from the cell next to me. I suppose that’s good. Gadreel had been extremely quiet, I thought he’d broken down,

“I sat in this hole for thousands of years thinking of nothing but redemption, of reclaiming my good name” Gadreel said from the cell next to me, “I thought of nobody, no cause other than my own”

“You’ve been redeemed, my friend” Dad said. There was something in Gadreel’s voice that worried me. I sat up and moved to the barred door, trying to look over but I couldn’t see him, only the angel outside who also looked a little confused,

“The only thing that matters in the end is the mission, protecting those who would not and cannot protect themselves; the humans. None of us is bigger than that”

“Gadreel?” I asked, “What are you doing?”

“We will not let our fears, our self-absorption prevent us from seeing it through. Not anymore”

“No, of course not” My dad said,

“Castiel, Grace. Move to the other side of your cells and keep your heads down”

“What are you doing?” I tensed up as I saw the angel’s reaction. She looked scared, frantic even. She grabbed the key from the wall and rushed to the door,

“When they say my name, perhaps I won’t just be the one who let the serpent in...”

“Don’t” The angel said, moving to unlock it and dropping the key in the process,

“Perhaps I will be known as one of the many…”

“Gadreel?” I heard my dad’s concerned voice,

“...who gave heaven a second chance” The angel picked the key up, putting it back in the lock but she paused as she looked up, “Run sister” She ran. I went to the opposite wall of my cell, still not sure about what he’s planning,

“Gadreel!” I called as I saw a large light and I covered my head with my hands as the wall across from me was demolished in a huge explosion. By the time I opened my eyes again, there was a huge dust cloud surrounding me. I still didn’t move for the longest time, waiting to hear anything else. I heard footsteps,

“Do you believe him now?” My dad asked the angel. Without seeing him, I just knew Gadreel was dead. I looked up to see my dad coming over, giving me a hand up. My eyes were wide with horror, starting to water at the dust getting into them but I couldn’t help it. Someone just died for me, “Are you alright?”

“What?” I gave a cough, “I’m fine I…” I couldn’t help my eyes wandering to Gadreel’s cell. I couldn’t see well in the dust but I made out a figure lying in the rubble, “Is he…?” I didn’t realise I was shaking until an arm came around me,

“Come on” My dad urged me out of the cells with a warm kiss on my forehead. I led my dad down the halls back to Metatron's office. That is when we tore it apart, looking for the angel tablet. I was looking behind the books in the bookshelves, checking for false bottoms in drawers, nothing. We looked through everything, knowing that in any second, Dean could be losing the fight with Metatron. Finally my dad noticed the typewriter on Metatron’s desk. That had to be the most precious thing he had in that room. It was then I discovered that you could open typewriters. The tablet was just how I remembered it except the writing was glowing. When I picked it up, it shone brighter and burned my hands. It only made my grip tighten and I couldn’t seem to put it down. My eyes glowed and light blinded me. Something burst from my back in a blur of pain and my back muscles stretched like they’ve never been stretched before. A cramp I never knew I had was relieved. I felt a warm liquid soak into my clothes and it was sticky. I didn’t want to say it but I kept thinking it was blood. I am bleeding. What from? I don’t know, I still can’t put it down. My dad took it from my hands and smashed it to the ground. The effect it had on me wore off. I looked at my hands and thankfully there were no burns, my eyes stopped glowing and I could finally see again with all the light. I looked down and the angel tablet was dust now.

“Well played Castiel” Metatron stood in the middle of the room. He was dressed as a homeless guy with a scruffy beard and scraggly hair and hat. I despised him immediately. My dad looked up from his seat, “Obviously you and Gadreel managed to turn a few dead enders against me”

“Gadreel is dead” Dad said,

“Ah, so Gadreel bites the dust” He looked down at the ground, “And the angel tablet, arguably the most powerful instrument in the history of the universe, is in pieces and for what again? Oh that’s right, to save your family” His eyes turned to me and I narrowed mine at him in a response, “That was your goal right? Your wife and your abomination. Those Winchesters. I mean, you drape yourself in the flag of heaven but ultimately you had other loyalties that mattered more” He again looks to me, “Well guess what? Dean Winchester is dead” We both had shocked looks on our faces, “And you’re sitting in my chair” I heard handcuffs click and noticed my dad was trapped with those handcuffs on each arm of the chair. I jumped forward and was thrown back into the bookcases, “Ah” He said holding his finger to me, looking at my dad the whole time,

“Oof” Left my lips as I impacted with the bookcase and my back got the worst of the hit. My back still felt warm. I could feel more warmth spilling down it and I grimaced at it,

“You will never get away with this” My dad said,

“Get away with what? You told a silly story to a group of less-than-believers, I’ll clean up your mess in an hour”

“You give our brothers and sisters far too little credit. They will soon learn that you have been playing them” Metatron chuckled,

“And then? They will do nothing. Because they are frightened little sheep, following my crook wherever it leads. And where I’m taking them? Back to our rightful place atop this mountain of human shame and excrement. When that happens, trust me, they’re not going to care how they got there. You know why you couldn’t quite pull it together Castiel?” Metatron turned the chair to face him more, “While you’re sitting here with your grace slowly burning away and your reputation long extinguished? No curiosity. You didn’t read enough” Metatron took out a bloody angel blade, holding it in bloody hands, pointing the blade down towards my dad, “You never learned how to tell a good story” My dad leaned forward, clenching his jaw with his eyes narrowed,

“But you did” He then looked over at the sound equipment in the corner. Maybe I  _ did _ turn that on when Metatron arrived. I figured out what it did almost as soon as I saw it earlier. He had to have broadcasted his voice over angel radio somehow and that looks like just the thing to do it with. The entire conversation had been broadcasted across angel radio. Everyone heard it. Angels poured through the doors and took a hold of Metatron. My dad slid the handcuffs off the arms of the chair and stood up, taking a hold of the blade. Now Metatron would know what it's like being stuck in one of those cells. My dad threw him in personally. I stood up again, rubbing my back where it hit the shelves. When I did, it felt soft. Not skin soft. I took my hand back and I was holding a jet black feather. I turned my head and got a faceful of them, so big. And they flexed so naturally, they moved like they’d always been a part of me. I could move it like I could any of my limbs. There was a breeze on my skin and I realised, my clothes were ripped on the back. When I looked up from the revelation, I realised they were gone. I rushed to catch up with them, back at the cells and just caught the tail end of that conversation,

“And your grace? What will you do about that? You will die if you don’t replenish it”

“Wait, what?” I asked, looking to the angel since I’d get a more honest answer from her,

“The grace he has now, it isn’t his own. It will burn up and he will wither with it”

“Will it not just make him human again or…” I asked hoping they got it wrong, “I mean, he’s survived with no grace before”

“No, the grace is burning up inside him. It will make him weaker and then he will die. I’m sorry” Without saying anything, my dad reached out to me,

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked him, avoiding his reach,

“Grace, we should get back now. We’ll discuss this later” He gently led me out of heaven in complete silence. Angels all looked at us with sympathy, all of them knowing that he was dying long before I did and all of them heard Metatron saying he killed Dean, a close friend to us both. Today has got to be the worst day of my life and it wasn’t even over yet. As we took the elevator down, I looked down at my wings,

“Will other people see them?” I asked. My dad took his trench coat off and tucked my wings under them. We appeared in the playground and took a truck back. My dad drove back to the bunker where we’d have to face Sam who will be grief stricken. Perhaps have a funeral for Dean, say goodbye to a good friend. That’s not what met us when we drove up. Sam looked distraught,

“Dean’s gone” He said,

“Yeah, we heard. I’m sorry Sam”

“No, I mean he’s missing” My dad squinted his eyes,

“Metatron said he killed him” I said,

“He did but I brought him back here and now he’s gone. He left this” He handed us a note in Dean’s writing,

_ ‘Let me go Sammy’ _

I was so shocked. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. He died. Are we going to have a ‘Fear of the Walking Dean’ situation or is he still himself?

So came the weeks of no sleep. I took a shower to wash away the blood and tried to make my wings disappear. During the shower, they sunk back into my back and left two long scars to prove they were really there. My mum came back from work and had to be caught up on everything. Her face was just shocked. She’d been gone the whole day so hearing everything was a bit too much. She was devastated when she heard the news of dad. She cupped the back of his head and pulled him to her, her eyes watering as she tucked his shoulder under her chin. She looked ready to cry. I’ve never seen her cry so these next few weeks were incredibly difficult. She started to spend more and more time with him. When he was too weak to get out of bed some days, she’d call in sick to work so she could stay with him. When he was strong enough, they’d go on walks. I couldn’t take this. They’d been apart so long because of angels, now they can be together and it may only be for dad’s final days. I sat in the library with Sam, just staring at him. He looked up from his book,

“What?” He asked,

“How do we fix this?” I asked,

“Fix it?” I nodded, “There is no fixing it”

“There has to be. This can’t be it”

“Dean has gone completely off the radar and Cas’ grace is gone” I sighed, getting up and heading to the kitchen. I froze at the door. My mum was there, on her own. She stared into space. Her cheeks were glistening in the light of the kitchen. I’ve never seen my mum like this, I just didn’t know how to react. I stood there silently until a sob left her. She buried her face in her arms and her shoulders heaved. Seeing her cry made my own chest tighten. I’ve felt this emotion before, it was grief. It was pure, painful grief and dad wasn’t even dead yet. She had no hope that he could get better. I looked over my shoulder and saw my dad about to head into the kitchen and I gestured with a little urgency. His step quickened and he paused at the door before joining his wife. He sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms without saying anything. She didn’t even look up, already knowing it was him and curled into his chest more. I put my hand over my mouth, I thought I was about to cry just watching it. He started to rub her back and stoke her hair as her shoulders continued to quiver, I could tell she was still crying. He kissed her forehead gently, resting his head on hers. That’s it. I’m not going to let dad die. I marched into the library. Sam was still there, staring into a book. I put my hands on the table, leaning over Sam until he acknowledged me, “Yeah?”

“I’m not going to let my dad die. And you’re not going to just leave your brother out there either” Sam just stared up at me with those tired eyes before a faint smile came over him,

“Now you’re starting to sound like Dean” We split the work between us. Sam went about tracking Dean down and I picked up every book with angel in the title and started my research. This went on for days. I became more motivated as the days went on. My dad was starting to look very pale, he’d be coughing and he even fainted once. Right at the dinner table, he passed out. I came out of my room after hours of research and found Sam sitting at the library with his chin resting on his hand, staring at his laptop screen. He was down to one hand these days after coming home from a hunt in a sling,

“You ok Sam?” I asked. He looked up and on recognising me, sat back in his seat and cleared his throat,

“Yeah, sure, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you just said ‘why wouldn’t I be?’” I replied, “You find something on Dean?” Sam swallowed, looking back at the laptop screen. I wandered over to him, looking over his shoulder. There was Dean, on security footage. He was being attacked, or at least he was but he quickly got the better of him. Sam paused as Dean faced the camera and I realised why he wasn’t so happy to see this. His eyes were black. I bit my lip, “It’s a black and white camera, could be a-”

“It’s not” Sam interrupted, still staring at the screen,

“Then maybe he’s possessed”

“Maybe he was never alive. We’ve just been chasing a demon this whole time”

“Demons don’t leave notes and they don’t wear Dean Winchester’s face for funsies, he’s the boogeyman to them. He’s gotta be in there somewhere and if so, he’s suffering” I looked up as I heard a plate slide over the table. The smell of food hit me next. Mum had taken to caring for Sam when he stopped caring for himself. She pushed the laptop closed and pulled it away from him slowly like he was a skittish animal. He looked up at her with a sort of pleading look. These past few days have practically ruined him. He wouldn’t fight her on anything, not even for his own computer and that thing is sacred. She pushed the plate of lasagne closer to him, walking to the kitchen with his laptop which left the very obvious message of ‘you’re not getting this back unless you eat everything and put it away’ without so much as a word being uttered. I pat Sam on the shoulder, “You’re going better than me”

“How’s your research been?”

“None of these old authors know how angels work, much less how to restore an angel’s grace” I shook my head, “It’s time to take to the internet, hopefully people know more now”

“Grace! Dinner!” I heard my mother calling,

“After I eat” I wandered into the kitchen, knowing my mum would do the same thing to me if I didn’t. Ok. Refuelled. Back to research. I went to my room and got on the internet, cross checking with lore books to see if they were real sources. I looked up Nephilims too, maybe there was something I could do to help him. I spent hours reading through every bit of lore in the men of letters bunker and online. I combed through YouTube videos, blog sites, wikis, anything for information. Passing out with my head in a book was not the weirdest thing that’s happened. The weirdest, probably, was when I woke up in a pile of black feathers to my door being kicked open. Turns out, my wings come out when I’m alarmed. I squinted as light hit my eyes and there in front of me stood Dean with a hammer in his hand,

“Dean?” His eyes flashed black, “Not Dean” I slid off my bed, backing up to my wall. My wings raised tall and feathers puffed out like a huge fluff ball. His black eyes looked over my wings and he smirked,

“Oh it’s me alright” He said, lingering in the doorway. He looked down at the books in front of me, “What’s all this?”

“Research” I squeaked, the mark on Dean’s arm was burning, his arm tremouring. I have to get out of here but Dean is in the doorway. My wings fluttered uncomfortably. Damn these things give away everything. I couldn’t make them disappear either since they came out from adrenaline,

“Since when did you do research?” He asked,

“Since my dad is dying” I said. I saw Dean’s smirk falter for half a second before the lights turned red and the bunker went on lockdown. Dean looked up at the lights before heading down the corridor. I rushed out my door and down the opposite way, rushing to the kitchen and taking out the salt. I put a salt line at each doorway and sat there, keeping watch at each of them, cradling the almost empty salt bottle. Before long the lights turned back to normal again. I sat there for a while, listening to rushed footsteps and other noises. I heard Dean shouting,

“Let’s finish this game!” That was definitely demon talk. I needed to know what was going on. I saw Sam with a demon knife, looking around. I wanted to help him, seriously. He still had his arm in a sling and as far as I know, my parents are out. It’s just us and Dean,

“Sam behind you!” I called when I saw Dean sneaking up on him with a hammer. Sam turned and ducked as the hammer swung and hit the wall where his head just was. Sam put the knife to Dean's throat and froze there. Dean smirked,

“Do it” He said. Sam stopped and took the knife away. Dean's eyes went black and was about to approach when my dad came up from behind him and grabbed him,

“Dean, it's over” He said. Dean tried to get out of the grip but my dad's eyes lit up blue with a new kind of grace fizzing in them. He had replenished it. Dean yelled out when he couldn't pull out of it. My mum was also here, back from the walk with my dad,

“We need to get somewhere safe” She said,

“Follow me” I led her back to the kitchen,

“Honey?” My mum asked suspiciously,

“We live with hunters, of course I’m gonna know about salt” I replied,

“No, your wings”

“They burst out when I saw Dean” I said, “I can’t get them back yet” She nodded. We sat in the kitchen for ages until I finally broke the silence, “What happened?” I pointed to the blood on my mum's sleeve, “Are you hurt?”

“We were attacked by a rogue angel” She replied, “She got the jump on us while we were in a gas station, your dad wasn't strong enough to fight her off”

“Seemed pretty strong to me there”

“Crowley appeared. Stole the angel's grace, killed her then gave it to Cas” She replied,

“Why? He's a dick”

“He didn't like Dean as a demon. Said he was too unpredictable and wouldn't listen to him so he saved your father so he could stop Dean” I nodded,

“How are they going to stop Dean?”

“There's a cure. Hopefully it works”

“A cure for demons?” My mum nodded. After some more time, Sam came out. He sure looked tired,

“Sam, when was the last time you slept?” My mum can make him eat but she can’t make him sleep, which is the problem. Sam gave a tired smile, looking a lot more relieved if anything,

“I’ll sleep a lot better tonight” Not long after Dean came out and I tensed up but it felt like he was reset. The mark was still there but his presence was light again, unnoticeable like it used to be. Dean was back!


	16. Chapter 16

I sat down on the floor in the records room in the bunker. I was entirely alone with the door locked so I wouldn’t be disturbed. Sam and Dean were in the library as I start to add ingredients into a bowl, grimacing at a few of them. Yeah, not as comedic as frogs’ toes or magic fairy dust. This stuff was revolting. This included bones of a foetus and nephilim blood. I don’t like getting paper cuts and here I was SLICING MY OWN HAND OPEN. Ouch. I let it drip over the goofer dust mixed with salt and pepper. Once I’d let enough drip over the dust, I added the dried yarrow flowers, a lock of familiar brown hair and lit up sage before dropping it in the bowl and letting it light up all the ingredients. I winced as I felt my blood burning like it was still part of my body but I ignored the pain enough to chant a spell,

“Mark ex inferno, mark in tenebris; Ab hoc homine” I winced again as the warmth of the fire was distracting and the burning within me started to hurt more, “Ne nos inducas in temptationem. Libera nos a malo. Quia tuum est regnum, et potentia, et gloria. Aeternus et umquam. Amen” I jumped as sparks flew up from the bowl in every direction before finally it settled down and the flames died down completely. Just as quickly as the flames died down, my strength all of a sudden left me and I passed out.

I woke up to the feeling of something soft under my head and a hand testing my forehead. Once it was satisfied I wasn’t overheating, they ran their hand through my hair. I could hear a little mumbling. Mostly ‘it was dangerous’ and ‘why didn’t you tell anyone’. I gave a sigh, relaxing under the gentle touch and without opening my eyes I asked,

“Did it work?”

“Yes” My dad replied, “It worked” I gave a smile before feeling my whole body getting picked up,

“Hey” I replied weakly, opening my eyes and trying to lift my head, “Don’t, I…” I realised I was still completely exhausted and my eyes just shut again, without me even lifting my head,

“Just sleep” The hand that I had cut hung limply down, the blood still dripping, tickling my palm as it slowly dribbled over the skin,

“One problem down” I murmured, “One to go” I felt my back touch a soft mattress and felt even softer blankets being pulled over me before I felt the mattress dip at the weight of my dad sitting next to me,

“Grace” He flicked some hair off my face and I opened my eyes again before having to close them, “These aren’t your problems to fix. You shouldn’t do something so reckless, that spell was very dangerous and could have cost you your life” By this point to me it was all just mumbling and it was all going in one ear and out the other. I didn’t even recognise what he said,

“Love you too” I mumbled as the last of my consciousness slipped from my grasp.

I woke up with a smile on my face and, when I had the energy to, I got up out of my bed and rushed to the library where Sam and Dean were researching a case. I immediately ran to Dean and pulled up his sleeve to reveal nothing but a clear complexion on his right arm,

“Yes!”

“Grace” I jumped at the stern voice of my mother. I knew from the look on her face that dad had told her what I’d done. I hid behind Dean almost as a reflex, shying away from the tone,

“Grace? What did you do?” Sam asked me, knowing that tone and subconsciously tensed at it too. The mum voice has great power, even the most hardy hunters will shy away from it,

“I did a spell to get rid of the Mark” I whispered, still not looking my mum in the eye,

“The spell could have killed you” My mum said,

“Ok, that’s a little exaggerated” I rolled my eyes, still hiding behind Dean,

“Oh is it?” She raised an eyebrow, “So I didn’t just see your father carrying your limp body back to your room half an hour ago, trailing blood?”

“She’s right, I mean, you’re inexperienced. A spell strong enough to lift the Mark of Cain would have some nasty side effects and much worse if it had gone haywire” Sam said to me,

“I thought you were on my side” I said, “What’s more dangerous a spell to remove a curse or Demon Dean? I took my chances with the spell, besides, I studied it thoroughly and knew what to do if it went haywire”

“That doesn’t matter, you took a big risk for that spell and you did it on your own, you didn’t even tell anyone about it”

“I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up if it ended up not working” My mum shook her head,

“I’m taking the computer and the lore books, you cannot help out in anything supernatural related”

“What?” I realised now she was serious, “But-”

“No” She said sternly, “And if I see you magic any of those books into your room, I’ll be putting you in those enochian handcuffs. Do you understand?” I sighed,

“Yes”

“Good” She stormed straight to my room and I followed behind her much slower. I wandered to my room, leaning against the doorway downcast as I watched her take all the lore books from my shelves and back to the library, the final cherry on top is when she came back for my laptop,

“It’s all so bare now” I looked at my empty walls,

“So get some of your own belongings. Nothing supernatural” Her gaze finally softened, “It’s for your own good” I huffed, turning away, “I’m serious, you don’t realise what that spell would have done to you if you failed”

“But I didn’t fail” I raised my voice with a sharp tone,

“That doesn’t justify it!” My mum said over me, “I could have lost you” I ate my words. There’s no comeback to that. What do I say to her? You’re being dramatic? It’s a real possibility she’s facing with her own husband right now. I can’t say anything. She left it at that. I closed my door and huffed on my bed like a five year old until I grew bored. And guess what, I can’t go on my laptop for any fun. I couldn’t read any lore books. I put my headphones on and listened to some music, sometimes humming or singing. Something distracted me from my music and though it was still playing in my ears, I didn’t pay attention to it,

_ Grace _

Look who’s calling to the abomination for help huh? Pathetic. I tried to ignore it but he kept going,

_ I know you can hear me. Whether you’ve learned to speak back or not _

I rolled my eyes, total disdain was captured in my reply,

_ What do you want? _

_ Is that anyway to speak to the one who’s gonna solve your problems? _

_ If someone was going to solve my problems, maybe I would be more polite _

_ You’ve the same temperment as your father _

_ Same as my mother actually _

_ Gah, you are just impossible to talk to. Here I was trying to tell you where I stored your father’s grace and I can’t even get a word in _

_ Hey, I’ve had a bad day, you want someone to just sit there while you taunt them, you’ve picked the wrong person so what the hell do you want from me and why should I trust anything you say? _

_ I used your father’s grace in the spell to expel every angel from heaven but there was a little left over. I’ve hidden it but I can get it for you _

_ Working with Metatron. Let me ask your other work partners. Hmm, can’t really ask Gadreel, perhaps my dad can tell me what you’re like. Or maybe I should take Kevin as an example _

_ Your father is dying. I know you’ve been looking for a way to save him and I’m telling you, there is no other way than to get his real grace back _

I paused for a minute. He had a point. I had to get his grace but I was also not working with Metatron. I already knew that wasn’t an option. The best I could do was trick him into giving clues,

_ What’s the catch? _

_ I need to leave heaven to show you _

_ Yeah, that’s not going to happen _

_ Then your father is going to die _

I know what he was doing, I know what he is. He is a con man, plain and simple. I know because I do the exact same things to get what I want. Rudeness? Means nothing when the other person has what you want. Guilt tripping? Done it all the time. I know how this works,

_ Alright. If you have what I need, prove it _

_ You want me to prove it? From inside a jail cell? _

_ Can you offer up any information other than it exists and you’ve hidden it? Where? Can you at least name a state? _

_ Nice try princess but I’m not saying anything until I’m out of here _

_ Then you aren’t going anywhere _

I gave a smirk. We were at an impasse. Metatron had something I wanted and he believed I would give him what he wanted, clearly thinking I’m the weak link. I wonder if he’s called my bluff yet.

_ What’s the maddest thing a man can do? _

_ What? _

_ That is my clue to you. I will tell you more when you release me _

_ About that. You see, I’m not the desperate weak link you think I am. I’ve just been given more time recently _

_ And here I thought you could be reasonable. I guess not _

_ No I’m very reasonable Metatron I’m just not stupid. You came to me thinking that you could outsmart me but I know all those tricks. Now leave me alone _

Metatron didn’t talk to me after that and I wandered out to the kitchen where my dad and the boys were. My mum wasn’t there so I figured it was safe to talk about it,

“What’s the maddest thing a man can do?” I asked out loud to the room,

“What?” Sam asked,

“It’s a clue Metatron gave me”

“Metatron was talking to you? He’s in heaven’s jail” Dean replied,

“Angel radio” I pointed to my head, “He told me that there is still some of dad’s grace left over from the spell and that he’d hidden it. He’d show me if I broke him out” I rolled my eyes, “Like I’m that stupid”

“So there’s some of his grace still out there somewhere?” Dean asked,

“Yeah, I managed to get him to share a little clue but it doesn’t make any sense to me, I thought maybe one of you’d know”

“Is it a riddle or something?” Dean asked, I shrugged,

“It sounds more like something from a book” Sam said, “I mean, he did read every book on earth”

“Really? Nerd” I shook my head, “Though it explains the study as his office, with the typewriter” I looked at my dad to see him in thought,

“You’re right. It is from a book. The maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die, it’s a quote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra” He said,

“Right, how does that help?” I asked,

“My grace was stored in a vile. It’s definitely small enough to fit in a book” I nodded,

“And how many copies of the book are there in the world?”

“Far to many to check” Sam sighed, “We need to narrow it down” I nodded and wandered off. I wasn’t forbidden to leave the bunker and say I were to just stumble on the information, I can’t really be held accountable. I’ve gotten better at zapping around. Once out of sight, I zapped back to the place I was kidnapped to. Bartholomew’s lair which my dad used to try and combat Metatron with his own force. The stuff was all still there. The computers were off but I went to one station that still functioned. I needed to know what data they had on Metatron. Ok, this isn’t just stumbling on information, this is actively searching. There was so much data too, it would take too long to sift through on my own. Since none of the team back home would help me and not get me into trouble, I thought to search for help elsewhere. I don’t have any regular friends but perhaps some angels might help? I don’t want to push my luck but I feel like they’re ok with me. I arrived at the gate and saw two different angels guarding it. This time a teenager and a younger kid, the teenager following the younger child and helping it up the climbing frame. They both paused to look at me but I didn’t enter. I really shouldn’t. I sat on the swing for a couple minutes, thinking about what I should say when the gate opened up and out came Hannah. I learned her name by the way. Hannah, the angel that helped us. She wandered over to me, her startled gaze resting on me and she sat on the swing beside me,

“Grace?” She questioned,

“Hi Hannah” I replied,

“What is the purpose of this visit?”

“I need some help. Metatron reached out to me and said that there is still some of my dad’s grace left”

“Really?”

“Yes. He wants out but I did manage to get a clue from him which told us he’s hidden it in a certain book. I need to know where he frequented most”

“I don’t know where he frequents. He’s been silent ever since he got to the jail”

“What about from what you found out when you were looking for him. You saw sightings right?”

“Yes”

“Where were they the most?” Hannah put two fingers on my forehead and we appeared outside of a library. I looked to her,

“You said he hid it in a book. We had seen him come here a few times but everyone we sent to catch him never came back” She replied. I nodded, rushing down the aisles. I was so busy looking through the shelves that I didn’t realise we weren’t alone. I looked up from the shelves to see someone coming at me with an angel blade. I immediately dropped to the ground before he could stab me and on that bottom shelf, I found the book. I grabbed it and rolled away before he could attack again and when I got up, I ran. Hannah saw me running and saw the angel after me,

“I got the book, let’s get out of here” When we looked at the door though, it was blocked by another angel. The first one closed in behind us. And yes, I’m in one of those situations, adrenaline runs high and my wings pop out. Hannah took out her angel blade but I didn’t have one so I just held the book to my chest. It was two against one. They both ran at us and I squeezed my eyes closed. My wings stretched out and I felt them hit something solid on both sides. I opened my eyes to see both angels hit back and knocked bookshelves over. I grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her away, running to the back in hopes of escape. Hannah could escape no problem but I couldn’t. Not because of some spell but because my wings were too big to fit through the window and I couldn’t calm down enough to hide them. Hannah took her jacket off and put it around my shoulders, kinda squeezing the wings down and though the pressure hurt like hell, it worked. We were in the alley behind the library now, more or less hiding while I tried to calm down. I couldn’t seem to on my own,

“Grace, can you control your wings?” Hannah asked. I shook my head,

“Not really. They come out pretty unpredictably. Usually if I get scared”

“How do they disappear?”

“When I calm down” I replied, “Let’s just get out of here, I’ll calm down once I’m back in the bunker” We appeared back at heaven’s gate and I made sure no one was around when I gave Hannah back her coat and went back to the bunker. I put the book in my parents’ room when they weren’t around so I could have plausible deniability later and rushed off back to my room to focus on calming down. My adrenaline was still going. My wings are really soft, I like to bring them out when I sleep since they’re much more comfortable than the duvet I have. I figured now was as good a time as any to have a nap. My wings curled around me like a fluffy cocoon and it feels soooo good. Honestly, it’s like snuggling in the softest blanket you’ve ever had, surrounded by those big white dogs that are more fluff than dog. My eyes were just going to close when all my feathers stood up. I felt it before I saw it so when I opened my eyes and looked around, I was half expecting a demon to be there or something. Instead, I was on my own, in the dark. When I finally relaxed and laid back down again, my door opened. In walked my dad, looking a lot stronger than he had been for a while now. I smiled sleepily, knowing he’d finally taken back his grace. He held the book up and I hid my face in my wings, moaning at the light coming into the room. It didn’t help that he put the lamp on beside me and sat on the edge of the bed,

“I thought your mother told you not to get involved in this” He said. I just mumbled,

“I’m tired”

“Grace?” My dad’s trying to be stoic here and parent at the same time. I think you’ll find that doesn’t work,

“I’ve been asleep, what are you talking about?” I decided to deflect his tone with a grumpy reply,

“I’m talking about the book that appeared with my real grace in it” I sat up,

“You got it back?” I asked curiously, rubbing my eyes because the light still hurts!!! My dad paused. Clearly my confusion sounded convincing and he seemed a little thrown,

“Yes”

“S-so, everything’s ok now? You’re not dying?”

“Yes, I’m not dying” Before he could say anything more I hugged him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop him asking any more questions, “Were you the one who found it?” I pulled away from him now,

“What makes you say that?” I asked,

“Only us and Sam and Dean know about the book. You were the only one to leave the room after learning it”

“Yeah, I went to sleep”

“Not long after sleeping earlier? You had to have done something to be tired again” I got nothing. If I lie, he’ll know it,

“Please don’t tell mum”


	17. Chapter 17

Now that dad got his grace back and wasn’t dying, my mum was overjoyed. In fact, she was in such a good mood and since I was the one to get it back, I was spared the consequences this time. Still, the ban on any supernatural research stayed and now, I’m in a school in town. Yet another first day of school. I got up early today. I got up to the alarm and stretched my arms out tall. My black feathered wings felt heavy with sleep and I stretched them out to their impressive wingspan to relieve the cramps before tucking them away, making them disappear. I understand why angels hide them now. Wings were quite the nuisance. They bump into everything, people walk into them, they knock things off shelves. I went to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth and tame my hair. As I got dressed and went out to get breakfast, Dean was already up along with my dad,

“Look at you up early” Dean smirked. I went quietly to get some cereal,

“School” I said,

“Just no fights this time” My mum said from her seat at the table,

“Is this really a good idea?” I asked, “I still can’t control when my wings pop out. What if they do it in front of everyone?”

“They only come out when you get panicked. You’ll be fine” I sighed, squeezing a little extra honey into my cereal to see if I could wake myself up more for the day ahead. I knew it would be hard. I’ve had so many new starts that I could already plan out exactly how I’d have to introduce myself. My mum drove me to school. I had almost forgotten my bag as I got up to follow her to the bunker’s garage,

“Grace” My dad called me back, holding up my bag,

“Oh, thanks” I rushed over to grab it before running after mum. It wasn’t a long drive from the bunker to the school but it felt long enough for me. I was busy planning out my whole day, how I should act around people. I’d prefer it if I stayed invisible, maybe I could try that. That didn’t work out when I got into the school gates and was immediately confronted with three boys ganging up on one girl. They were throwing her books about, shoving her and she barely spoke up. I realised now that invisible wasn’t the way to go, learning from her example. As she got up again to stop another boy kicking her bag about, she was shoved down yet again and something in me stirred. I took a breath, still worried my wings would pop out if I got riled up. The bell rang and the boys moved on, leaving the girl behind. I looked to the doors as everyone filed in before moving back to the girl. She shied away from me until I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she realised I’d come to help. I picked up some books of hers and helped her up,

“Thanks” She said shyly. I gave a smile and a nod at her, before heading inside. I had gotten my timetable from the front desk but not so much as a small tour so I took a while to catch my bearings. Eventually I just followed the numbering on the doors to find my room. At least I wasn’t too late. Everyone was just settling in when I arrived. Before I could get a seat however the teacher stopped me,

“Everyone, this is Grace. She will be joining us for the rest of the year” He introduced me to the class. I didn’t appreciate the show as everyone stared at me as I found my seat at the back of the class. They turned their eyes to the front, losing interest in me as the first class started. It was like this for most of the day. I’ve had a couple people come up to talk to me, politely introducing themselves. The conversations never lasted long when they got to the question of where I’m from. I could see the smiles fade as I listed off the various places. Many left it there. As lunch time came around, I found a secluded spot outside, under a tree to eat my lunch. At least no one would bother me there. I was wrong. Remember those boys? They were back again. They were like a pack of wild dogs, testing me to see where they fit in the pecking order. I ignored them. They weren’t worth my time. Most of the school was actually ok. The musical kids weren’t really snotty, the sports kids weren’t too loud. The social groups mingled with relative ease. It’s just the odd groups. The odd people actually. Some can change the atmosphere in a room as soon as they arrive. As I was sitting down, they couldn’t really take any kind of swing at me. They resorted to taunting and mocking me, which I ignored. I couldn’t care less what they called me. They then took my bag and started throwing it about. I wasn’t interested. It only had school books in it, it’s not like there was anything important in there that I cared about. They got bored of me quickly. They dropped my bag and walked away, going to terrorise someone else. After I had finished eating, I went to pick my bag up again and bring it back to me. I looked up and that girl was getting picked on again. I saw the boys circling her, going in for the kill. Luckily, this time she had backup. Another boy. He was extremely calm in approaching them and the mere presence of him moved them off.

“Hmm” I hummed as I watched the boy lead that girl to a table with another girl in their year. It seems he protects them. Unfortunately, that brought the attention back to me. Still with no one to torture, they went to the lone person sitting in the open. I rolled my eyes when I saw them coming over. They figured I didn’t fight back and that I might be an easy target so they went about circling me. I ignored them, looking down at the book I read. Their shadows passed over me so I knew they were getting close but I blanked them. Finally they gained enough confidence to strike, kicking my legs and whacking the book out of my hands. I sighed, “Go away bratts” I muttered, picking up my book and starting to read again, only to get it hit out of my hands again. I stood up now and realised, I was actually taller than most of them. I immediately smiled when I learned that fact, “What’s it going to take to get yous to leave me the hell alone?”

“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to have some fun?” One asked, tilting his head to the side with a sickly smile,

“Define fun” I replied. One made a punch at me and I grabbed his arm as it stretched and pulled him close, leaning to talk into his ear, “I’ve been told not to start any fights in school anymore” I hissed in his ear. He tugged for his arm to be free but I held it firmly, “That doesn’t count for outside school. You come at me again and I’ll jump you outside those gates” I leaned back to see his face, finally letting him go. It’s funny how low school bullies are after being tortured by literal demons. I couldn’t possibly be worried about them if they consisted of the entire school. They didn’t back off straight away until they saw that boy coming up to us again. They immediately dispersed and I turned to the new boy. He had this blissful smile on his face as he stopped in front of me with hazel eyes and his hair swept to one side. Nothing about him seemed particularly threatening,

“Hi, I’m Jack” He held his hand out and I shook it,

“Grace” I replied,

“I just came over to see if you needed any help” He continued, “They looked like they were bothering you” Jack seemed like a really polite guy, hardly a bad bone in him,

“They seem frightened of you” I smiled,

“I uh, broke his hand once when he punched me” My smile grew, “It wasn’t my fault. He broke it on my jaw” I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder,

“Well he got what he deserved”

“Do you want to come and sit with us?” He gestured to his table with the two shy girls, no doubt under his protection,

“Sure” I shrugged. Better than sitting on my own for them to come back. He led me along back to the group and both girls watched us, shrinking in posture when we arrived. The girl I saw getting bullied earlier was still hugging her books to her chest, letting her dark brown hair hide some of her face. She tried to look me in the eye as she held out her hand to introduce herself but as I shook it, I noticed her eyes move down to our hands out of habit,

“My name is Katie” She said quietly. It wasn’t a mumble, she spoke clearly just with no volume,

“This is Grace” Jack introduced me,

“I- I’m Hannah” Hannah stuttered, she too shrinking slightly. I could tell why Katie and Hannah were friends, the two were very much alike but Jack was so different. It was like he didn’t know what social awkwardness was. He chat my ear off throughout lunch time as I got to know the three. Katie and Hannah were starting to feel more confident around me by the time the bell rang. I managed to make it through my last couple classes without any incidents. I got out, expecting to be walking home alone. My mother would be working till late. I didn’t expect to see my dad waiting for me. I smiled as I approached him. He gave a half smile, turning to walk back home with me,

“How was school?” He asked,

“It was alright. No fights”

“Your mother will be happy to hear that” He replied. We spent the walk home talking about our days, for once my dad’s was the least eventful,

“Are you ever going to teach me how to use these wings? They nearly made a guest appearance when I walked through the gates this morning”

“I will but I’m not in the best shape to teach you right now” He showed me his wings which were bones and crumbling feathers,

“What the hell?” I stopped to take them in,

“They’ll recover as my grace replenishes” We made it in and I immediately got to work with homework. Hopefully I’ll get it all out of the way and actually have time for myself. When my mum got in from work, I sure made time to glare at her as she passed to go to the kitchen. This was her fault. She smirked at that, like my unhappiness caused her delight. Sam was doing research at the table opposite me. I only really heard the sound of him typing and it wasn’t too distracting. I sighed, leaning back in my chair once I’d just finished my homework,

“So what are you working on?” I asked,

“We’re trying to find another nephilim created some time before we met you” He said, mostly interested in his laptop screen,

“Do you know much about this nephilim? Is it a he or a she?”

“It’s a boy” Sam replied, “His mother’s name is Kelly Kline. Last we saw her, she was still pregnant, we haven’t seen her since”

“On her own?” My mum came in, Sam nodded, “The poor woman. Being pregnant with her was hard enough” She gestured to me like I wasn’t in the room listening to her, “The morning sickness alone was enough to make me hate everything”

“Should I be offended?” I asked Sam lowly,

“But I still had Cas with me. Going through it on my own would be terrifying”

“Yeah well the father isn’t really the caring family man” Sam said, scratching the back of his head,

“Who is he?”

“Lucifer” He grimaced at the name,

“As in the devil?” I asked,

“Yes”

“He’s just casually walking around on earth making babies?”

“He was stuck in hell in the cage, we're not sure how he got free, there were no omens, no seals broken. We think maybe the cage was damaged or maybe the demons freed him, we don’t really know”

“But he was walking around free” Sam nodded, “Should we be worried?”

“We found him, sent him back to hell with the help of Crowley and a very powerful witch. He’s gone now, it’s just finding his son”

“Is his son dangerous?” I asked,

“We don’t know. So far, nothing bad has happened. We need to check”

“Well, right now, he’d only be a few months old” My mother replied, “I don’t think you’d get that much trouble from a baby, nephilim or not” Sam nodded,

“I hope the angels see it that way”


	18. Chapter 18

I continued with school. It became more bearable with friends actually. Jack is hilarious sometimes because of how clueless he was. I’m surprised he keeps up in school. Often times Katie or Hannah were sitting at break or lunch with him, helping him with anything he didn’t get. It was actually a very nice group. Katie is the most adventurous of the group, she is just shy around people. She really came out of her shell though. Maybe because she’s got someone to protect her in the mornings too. Having one body guard is great but two is confidence boasting. I’ve been over at her house too. She has like five dogs, all of them as big as her when they jump up. Her mother is a vet and often brings in foster animals when they can afford it. I got to nurse one of a small litter of kittens,

“This is adorable” I smiled as they all made squeaking noises at the smell of milk. I held one as it suckled on the bottle and moved its tiny paws like it was padding the air. Jack was holding one too and another was climbing up his leg to get at the same bottle of milk. Katie smiled, surrounded by her own dogs and Hannah too had this huge grin from ear to ear. You can’t not smile at kittens,

“So Grace, what about your family?” Katie asked, “We don’t really hear much about them”

“Well, my mum works here in town, my dad travels for work” I said. I’m not technically lying, “I also live with a couple friends of the family. Well, they inherited the place and there was just so much room they had us move in, they’re often travelling with my dad”

“Waw, really?” Jack asked, “That’s so nice of them” I smiled at him,

“What about you?” I asked him,

“Well my mum takes care of me on her own. My dad left before I was born so she’s sort of protective of me” I nodded,

“I know what that’s like” Then I looked to Hannah,

“I live with my older sister” She stated, not wanting to get into detail. The kitten I held squeaked in protest when it finished the bottle, wanting more,

“Greedy little kit, aren’t you”

“You have no idea” Katie sighed, “They get fed every few hours. Even during the night, my mum’s up feeding them. Sometimes my dad” I smiled. This was one of the many times we’d actually hang out. My fear of leaving the bunker is practically gone now and I wasn’t wandering around the bunker with nothing to do, which everyone appreciated since I tend to make my own entertainment. When Balthazar comes to visit it’s a bad combination. Next time Gabriel comes, it’s doomsday for everyone. As time went on, we left Katie’s house and walked home. Hannah split ways with me and Jack while we wandered through town. My phone rang and it was my mum,

“Hey mum”

“Hey, I’m just leaving work, are you still in town?”

“Oh yeah, I’m just walking back now with Jack”

“Do you both want a ride home?” I took my phone away from my ear to ask him,

“You want a ride?”

“Oh, if it’s not too much trouble” He said. I smiled and went back to answer my mother when there was static that interrupted us. It was short but made me look up. I saw a man, leaning against a wall. He was dirty, his hair was filthy and long. He wore a pinstriped shirt that was covered in muddy marks with the sleeves rolled up and his brown waistcoat looked tattered and old. He wore brown trousers to match the waistcoat and they too were wrinkled and dirty. His tie was loose around his neck and the top button on his shirt was undone. On his head, he wore a brown flat cap. He looked like he was leaning on the wall for support,

“Well?” My mum snapped me out of it,

“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry I thought I had low signal” I looked to Jack with a smile, playing off whatever emotion flashed on my face when I saw this man. I told my mum where to pick us up and we waited for her. As she pulled up alongside us, I got in the front and Jack got in the back. Before he did though, that man from earlier got in before him. I remained silent, not acknowledging him and Jack and I continued our conversation as normal. My mum had picked us up plenty of times so she knew where to go to drop Jack off. We’ve never really met his mum though as she works a lot,

“Thanks for the ride” He said to my mum. My mum smiled,

“No problem” She replied and he left to go up to the small rundown house. The small gate squeaked loudly on its hinges as Jack past it to head up to the front door of his house, passing the overgrown garden that made a grab for him as he passed the long weeds. My mum waited for him to get inside before driving off, “I still don’t think I know a single thing about him or his family”

“I know he lives with his mum. No dad in sight” I replied. I looked at the rear view mirror to see that man still sitting in the back seat. His dark eyes cast their gaze on me, filling me with a cold feeling. No one else has ever interacted with him which led me to the conclusion that only I see him. I subtly took out a small notepad that I carry around with me now. From my research to try and help my dad, I now know some enochian. I wouldn’t say it’s good but it’s something. I can pick key phrases from sentences to get an idea of the topic. I wrote down, in enochian, one word that I hope came out right,

_ ‘Kaleb?’ _ Through the rear view mirror, I saw the man lean forward in his seat. From the corner of my eye, I could see his hand reach out and hold my wrist. His touch was freezing, my breath came out in a mist when he got close to me and I couldn’t stop my shivering. He moved my hand with the pen in it to write on the page. This time, it was English,

_ ‘Yes’ _ I let out a short breath at that. I was actually seeing him now. As he’d leaned forward, I actually noticed that the dirty stains weren’t mud. They were a very dark red,

_ ‘Are you dead?’ _ I used English now since I know he can understand it. He shook his head,  _ ‘Why do you contact me?’ _ His ice cold grip held my arm again, moving my hand across the page,

_ ‘Because you can hear me’ _ My mum pulled up to the bunker and Kaleb sat back again. I put the notepad away, swallowing my fear as we entered. My mum noticed I was tense,

“You alright?” She asked, I nodded, “Did something happen?”

“No” I lied, getting out of the car once she parked. Kaleb got out too and followed me into the library. I took my notepad with me and sat on the table, right opposite Dean so I was at least in sight of someone in case he does something. I put pen to paper and immediately started to scrawl out enochian letters. The figure was not moving my hand so I knew it had to be the other voice. The writing was rushed but it was small this time, taking up a small piece of the page. Again, my enochian isn’t that good but I could translate ‘Get away’ something something ‘liar’. I looked up at the figure and slowly backed away, watching it as I headed into the kitchen and found my dad. I slipped him the note, “What does it say?” I whispered as I stared at the doorway. The figure appeared there too and I didn’t take my eyes off him,

“Get away from him, he’s the liar” My dad replied. The figure’s eyes widened, it was the most animation I had seen from his face,

“That idiot” It muttered,

“What was that?” My dad looked up,

“You heard that too?” I asked, finally dragging my eyes away from the figure to my dad who nodded. I tensed up as the figure approached me, flinching as he put his hand over my mouth to silence the gasp I was about to make. He got right up in my face before I blinked and he was gone. My muscles were still tense to the point I couldn’t move them. I was tossed to the back of my own mind while my body went on autopilot. When I tried to consciously take control, something fought back. I felt like a passenger in my own body as it walked back into the library and took a seat without me telling it to. I think… I think I’m possessed. I can’t actually move. I tried to talk to Dean but my mouth wouldn’t move, nor would my voice work. My dad followed me in, finding my sudden silence strange. I tried to tell him, tried to make myself move. No! I need to move! I need to speak!

“Grace?” My dad’s voice. I couldn’t move, nor respond to him. The thing now put a block on all communication, even angel radio. I fought to move as hard as I could but nothing worked,

“Grace” Dean sounded serious and something started to treacle down my face. I thought it was a tear, later discovering it was blood. My head and eyes moved up to him now and my mouth went into a sickly grin. Dean put his hands on the table, leaning down to my level, analysing me, “Sammy!” Dean called, “Salt and iron now” Sam appeared from the kitchen with the salt and iron and his face turned very serious when he saw me. My head slowly panned to the right to see him. Then further to see my mum and my dad standing together. My mum wasn’t aware of what was going on until she saw my face,

“Grace?” She furrowed her eyebrows in worry. She went to approach when my dad took her hand to stop her. She looked at him now before looking back at me with real panic in her eyes even if she didn’t show it outwardly. I don’t want them to stay back there. I want them near. I want them to help me. Please, help me! I sighed. Well, I didn’t sigh, this creature did. I’m not even sure if I could call it Kaleb,

“Kaleb” It said using my voice. My own body, “I wouldn’t have done anything if you hadn’t have warned her”

“Who are you?” My dad replied,

“That doesn’t matter” He continued, “What matters now is how the hell do I continue as planned?” While it was rolling my eyes and sighing frustratedly, my hand was still writing on the paper, “Shut up Kaleb! You massive dolt! If it weren’t for both of you fighting me I’ll have succeeded by now”

“Succeeded?” Dean questioned, “In what? Who the hell are you?” My twisted gaze turned to him,

“You can try your iron and salt, I’m not a ghost or a demon”

“Then what are you?” I felt my lips curve up,

“That’s for me to know” I could feel Kaleb in this body with me now. His presence reached out to me specifically, without any words, I could feel him goading me on. I fought as hard as I could for control of my limbs. I raised my arms, managing to plant them in my hair. My hands taking fistfuls of long brown hair in hopes of keeping control. I squeezed my eyes shut,

“Tell us your name?” Dean continued,

“Hang on. It’s two against one in here” The third presence sighed, “Goodnight Kaleb” I heard a snap and saw splinter in my hands and hair. I fought to make sure it didn’t do the same to me. This thing was stronger than me. Without Kaleb, I couldn’t fight enough, “Goodnight Grace” I blacked out.

I shot up from the library floor, turning quickly onto my stomach to puke up weird black stuff. It took a minute for me to actually recover. I groaned, my stomach felt very fragile and sore. It was then that I realised that I had no idea what happened while I was out. I turned back, standing up unsteadily and looking around. The chairs were all knocked over. Not a good sign. I curled my arms around my stomach, realising the pain pretty quickly once I stood. I stumbled out of the library to see much more mess in the kitchen. There were knives sticking out of the wall. I felt a flood of panic come over me,

“Mum?” I called, “Dad?” No answer, “Sam! Dean! Anyone?!” Quiet. I was about to rush out but I slipped and fell. I slipped and fell on blood. I shot up onto my knees to see the blood drawn sigils on the floor. Some of it written in enochian, some looked like warding sigils, “No” I looked at myself and saw blood stains in my clothes. I screamed. I flew out of there when my wings popped out, landing randomly somewhere then flying somewhere else. Somewhere completely different around the world. I didn’t realise I was even flying, I flew until my wings ached and my lungs burned for oxygen. When that happened, I realised I was actually using my wings for flight. I crash landed in the park in Lebanon, hitting the ground hard and hiding my wings before anyone could see them. Not that anyone would, it was the middle of the night. Why do I even care about that right now?! I curled up at the base of one of the trees, thinking over the horror in the bunker. Did I…? Did I stab someone? Did I kill someone? No, my dad would have healed them if I did. But… there was so much blood and where was everyone? My phone started to ring. I felt my hands shaking as I hurriedly pulled it out but it was just Jack. I answered,

“Hello?” I tried not to make my voice sound shaky but really I was on the verge of tears,

“Hey are you ok?” Jack asked, “Your mum called wondering if I’d seen you” I wanted to be happy. She must be ok but how was she looking for me? I was in the bunker. Before I could answer a sob came to my throat, “Grace?”

“I don’t know” I blurted out, “I’m really scared and I don’t know what to do”

“Where are you? I’ll come and meet you”

“I’m at the park” I said as some tears started to fall,

“I’ll be there soon” When he hung up, I just threw my phone down and buried my head in my knees. I didn’t realise how long I was like that. It seemed like Jack had just hung up but he was at my side now. My cheeks were damp at that point, “Grace? What happened?” He asked. I shook my head,

“I don’t know” I sniffed, “I woke up on the floor and everything was wrecked. No one was home and I saw…” I broke down crying,

“Grace, you’re bleeding” Jack said, starting to put pressure on where I’d seen the blood soaking my clothes. I shook my head, about to deny it when I felt a pain there. I was hurt,

“Wait, it was my blood?” I looked up at him through tears,

“What are you talking about?” Jack asked,

“All the chairs were overturned and there was cutlery in the walls and I saw the blood. I don’t remember what happened and I don’t know where my parents are or Sam and Dean”

“Let me call an ambulance”

“No” I shook my head, “No, I’m fine”

“I don’t think you are”

“I need to find my parents” I replied, “I need to get up” As Jack helped me up, my legs wobbled at the weight. I realised that I was exhausted. I leaned heavily on Jack for support and I felt my wings fall out of their hold in my jacket. I was too tired to hide them again, not like anyone can see them anyway. When they impacted the ground, my legs buckled and Jack took a hold of me to keep me up,

“Your mum left her number at my house, I can take you there” I just nodded, “Grace, why are you so tired?”

“I panicked” I replied. My eyes closed and I wasn’t even thinking about what I was saying anymore, “I ran. I ran so far” My head fell on his shoulder and was about to fall forward when something stopped it. I could feel both his arms holding me up but when I opened my eyes, I saw a large bronze coloured wing in front of me, making sure I don’t fall forward. Without even thinking, I pet one of them, “It’s soft” I felt Jack tense at that,

“Y-you realise what they are right?” I nodded with a yawn, my eyes closed again. It was then he noticed my black wings dragging along behind us, “You’re a nephilim too?” At the word nephilim, I perked up a bit but was unable to answer when I passed out from exhaustion and blood loss.

I heard voices nearby. Jack’s voice and some other woman. I was still so tired and now I was really feeling the pain in my stomach. I groaned, my head turned and my hands fidgeted,

“Dad” I couldn’t seem to use angel radio or maybe I just wasn’t concentrated enough. I was barely conscious, “Dad” I murmured again, “Help” I squirmed more when I felt a warm touch on my wrist and I immediately grabbed it. I groaned again in pain and I wanted to cry more. It was a constant stabbing pain that just couldn’t be relieved,

“Who is your dad?” Jack I think said that. I don’t know, I was focused more on the pain,

“Castiel” I answered, writhing more. My free arm curled around my stomach,

“Castiel? I’ve heard of him. He helped my mum get away from my dad” Yeah. That’s definitely Jack, “So would that make Sam and Dean, the Winchesters?” I finally opened my eyes and saw him again,

“Jack, who is your dad?” I asked,

“I’m not supposed to talk about him” He said,

“Is it Lucifer?”

“You know him?” Jack tilted his head like he didn’t realise that he was the son of satan himself. He definitely didn’t act like it,

“Not personally. But I thought you were meant to be a few months old, not my age”

“I had to grow up quick to protect myself. While my mother was pregnant with me, I had to protect us, I had to be ready for danger” I groaned again at the pain. How had I not noticed it immediately after I woke up in the library. Can adrenaline really hide this much pain? “Sorry, I can’t use my powers to heal you. My mum says we need to stay hidden. Your mum is on the way though. I told her about your injury” I nodded. Before long, my mum did eventually come. She brought my dad with her which I was so glad of. Dad instantly recognised Jack as a nephilim and Jack recognised him as an angel. They both sort of stared at each other while my mother went to get me up,

“You’re…” My dad started. I groaned in pain, clutching my stomach and my dad came to my side,

“We’ve already established that” I said, “A little help?” My dad healed it immediately so I could take a breather and the pain disappeared, “What happened to me? Who stabbed me?”

“You did” My mother said. I furrowed my eyebrows, “You don’t remember any of it?”

“I remember ‘Goodnight Grace’ then I woke up on the floor in the library, puking up some weird black stuff” I said, “I have no idea what I’ve done. I didn’t hurt anyone did I? Things were really messed up in the bunker”

“You threw Sam and Dean about a bit, used a sigil to banish your dad from the bunker” My mum said, “All the blood was yours”

“What happened?” Jack asked,

“I got possessed” I replied, “One of them is named Kaleb, the other… I think he did it. Why would he stab me?”

“We don't know” Dad said,

“Well where is he now?”

“Where did you say you woke up?”

“In the library” I shuddered thinking about it, “Oh gosh, I’m gonna have to go back there aren’t I?”

“We should probably stay at a hotel or somewhere for a while”

“You could stay here” Jack offered, “This is a spare bedroom, I can’t say it’s very big but I’m sure I can convince my mum to let you stay” I gave a smile at Jack for the offer and he’d rushed to ask his mother before my mum could decline the offer. Looks like we’re staying.


	19. Chapter 19

“Alright, keep your eye on the ball this time” I called over to Jack,

“Eye on the ball” He echoed to himself. I threw the ball and he stared at it the whole time, eyes wide until it hit him in the face. I would have been worried and probably should have been but I just dropped to my knees laughing. I couldn’t help it. It made a ping sound when it hit him,

“And hit it Jack” I said through fits. It didn’t last long and when I calmed down enough, I headed over to him. Luckily he’d found the humour in it too so I didn’t see much need for apologies, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah” He rubbed his forehead where he was hit. It looked a little red but I could tell nothing was going to come from it. Katie and Hannah were also on the sidelines, watching,

“So, you two are cousins?” Katie asked. I nodded,

“Just discovered it a couple days ago”

“That’s got to be pretty weird, just realising your friend is your cousin. Imagine if we just realised we were cousins” She looked to Hannah beside her. Hannah just raised her eyebrows,

“Well, I don’t have any aunts or uncles” She said,

“I guess it was inevitable for me to find one. We have a bunch of aunts and uncles” I looked to Jack,

“How many?” He tilted his head at me. I shrugged,

“Like hundreds?” I chuckled, hoping to make it sound like a joke but really it could be, “I only know a few like Gabriel and Balthazar. They’re my favourites and the ones that haven’t, you know, disowned me”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because they’re pompous assholes who don’t want nieces and nephews” Jack looked shocked at me. I sighed, “Fine,  _ most _ are pompous assholes” I felt a vibration in my pocket and took out my phone, “That is check in number 576” I sighed, knowing if I didn’t text back, they’d come looking for me,

“Who is it this time?”

“Dean” I finished my text and put it back in my pocket, “Ready to try again?” Jack smiled, eyes lit. I took it as a yes. I wandered away, ready to throw again.

It wasn’t long until the sun set. Now that it was approaching winter, we really didn’t get a lot of chance to stay out late. Jack and I both had overprotective mothers and Hannah had a lot of texts coming into her phone that she didn’t want to answer. She checked every one of them though. Jack and I wandered back to his house when I got a call from Sam. At the same time, Jack got a call from his mother. We both split apart to answer them,

“Grace” He sounded urgent,

“What now?” I asked,

“Are you with Jack?” I paused. For once, this wasn’t about me. I was both relieved and a little worried. I looked back to see him on his phone, talking quietly with his mum,

“What’s this about? Angels? Demons?”

“I need you to get him to the bunker as soon as you can”

“I can hardly fly on my own, nevermind carry someone. Why? What’s going on?”

“His dad is out. He’s looking for him” I turned to Jack at the same time he looked at me, fear in his eyes,

“Where’s his mum?”

“She’s with us. You need to get here. Cas is out looking for you”

“We’ll be there” I hung up and went over to him, grabbing his arm,

“My dad” He said quietly. I nodded, complete seriousness on my face,

“I know. We need to move” I’ve dealt with demons, hellhounds, angels. I did not want to know what the devil would do if he caught us. I looked around to see if anyone was watching us. I don’t know what I’m looking for so I just hooked my arm under Jack’s and set off at a quick pace towards the edge of town. I heard Jack’s breathing hitch, he was scared. I needed to keep him calm, “Look, I’ve dealt with demons before, I’ve got a few tricks”

“Will they work against my dad?”

“They worked against angels. Your dad is just a fallen angel right?” He nodded. My eyes scanned the street again for any shadows, “Alright, I’ve made up some rules that might help. Rule seven is the public can be an ally or an enemy, sometimes both”

“What do you mean?”

“They can hide you and slow you down. They do the same for the person chasing you” The talk seemed to be working, his arm was relaxing in my grip,

“What happens if he finds us?”

“Then we resort to rule number one” I smiled, “Run. Run like you stole something. Stole something valuable with like ten cops on your tail” Jack tilted his head at me and I smiled. Not something he understood, “Run liked your ice cream is melting” He stopped tilting his head, smiling even. The talking was slowly relaxing him but we still weren’t out of the woods, “There’s a place out of town that we can go to. Your dad can’t get us there”

“Is that so?” We turned sharply and there was a guy leaned against the wall. He moved to stand up, unfolding his arms with a smile on his face as he approached us. He wasn’t what I was expecting for the actual devil but he was daunting enough in height and relaxed. No horns and bat wings, in fact he looked like just a regular guy. Even the angels and demons looked somewhat different with the suits and the square shoulders, walking around like they’ve shit themselves, “Hello Jack, Grace” He nodded to each of us, “I suppose I don’t need to introduce myself” I could feel Jack freezing to the pavement beside me. My arm was still hooked in his so I gave him a shove to force him to move. We both immediately turned and ran. I wasn’t going to stay and chat. What concerned me more was that Lucifer didn’t pursue us. He walked after us, we were losing him quickly. Far too easily. I refuse to underestimate the devil of all people. When we appeared to be alone, Jack took a breath. I let myself catch a breath but I was still alert,

“Why isn’t he chasing us?” Jack asked, still breathless,

“I don’t know” I replied through deep breaths of my own, “How well can you zap around?”

“I don’t do that”

“Fly even?” He shook his head,

“Accidentally, when you called me. I was told not to use any of my powers”

“You might want to try them now. I’m showing you where to go” Just like Gadreel did to me, I showed the road towards the bunker to Jack and the heavy door he has to pull open. He knew where it was now but he wasn’t going there. He shook his head,

“I can’t”

“Well I can’t zap with a passenger” I peeked out of the alley we hid in to see if he’d found us yet. I saw him down the street, leaning against a tree, looking at me. I looked around for where we can go and when I looked back, he was gone. He stood in front of me now, pushing us further into the alley. When we followed it round, it was a dead end. I could get out but could Jack? We turned back and Lucifer had trapped us, “Jack, I’ll give you a boost, grab that drain pipe and climb up” I whispered to him, keeping my eyes on Lucifer the whole time,

“To the roof?” Jack asked,

“Yeah, quickly” I put my hands together and when Jack stepped up, I pushed upward and he latched on to the drain pipe. He was a slow climber though and I couldn’t grab it until he had moved. I turned back to Lucifer who’d gotten a whole lot closer,

“You think you’ll lose me?” He questioned, taking a step closer. I didn’t say anything. My blade was ready to fall into my hand when he was close enough but I was much too far away to have any good attack at all. I heard Jack slip a little on the pipe, just catching himself. I just willed him to go faster, there was nothing I could do now, “It’s a brave thing, helping him escape. I thought this was the same Grace that had Crowley chasing his tail. Gotta say, I’m a little disappointed” He tilted his head at me. A smirk tugged at my lips but my eyes stayed trained on him. My peripheral picked up movement beside him. I looked and saw my worst nightmare. A hound so huge, it made the other hellhounds look like terriers. Spit frothed from its mouth. My blood ran cold as its red eyes trained on me. I looked at back at Lucifer, eyes wide, “I’m willing to give you a headstart. What shall we say, two minutes? One?” He tilted his head, a smile growing, “Five... Four... Three” My heart kicked into overdrive and while Jack was just climbing onto the top of the roof, I jumped up, catching the pipe and pulling my legs up. I’d just pulled my feet up onto the pipe when I head, “Ramsey, fetch” Sung happily below me. I pulled up on the pipe, as high as I could, pulling my feet up too. The hound jumped once, gnawing the bottom of the pipe. I went to pull up again when the hound jumped again. I first felt a sharp pain in my leg before a huge weight, pulling me down. As gravity came into play, my foot felt worse until I let out a scream. I looked down and the hound was biting down on my foot,

“Grace!” I heard a call above me. I gripped the pipe tightly, my knuckles going white but the hound was holding on, even swinging on me. It pushed up against the wall, letting go only to grab ahold further up my leg. I let out another yell but I had to do something. The knife was still in my sleeve, I slowly wiggled it up until it poked out enough to grab. The hound was close to my hip now, I could feel blood dripping down my leg. I looked down at those burning red eyes and plunged my blade right into one of them. The hound growled more, biting down harder but I pulled it out and stabbed again, this time in the nose. If I could disable its ability to track us, I don’t care how hard it bit. I was aiming for the other eye when it dropped off. Once free, I put the blade between my teeth and climbed up the pipe, only able to use one foot so I couldn’t pinch the pipe between my feet. Instead I put it flat to the wall and hopped up the wall until Jack could grab my arm and pull me up. My blade dripped black gaunge. Figures, those hellspawn didn’t even bleed regular blood. I looked down and only saw one red eye staring at us those, “Grace, are you alright?” He pulled my up, holding my leg near the bites,

“Hellhound” I could only whisper as he put pressure on the bleeding, “They can jump real high but they can’t climb up buildings” I wish that was the case. After a little time, I saw the mutt jump again, grabbing the metal pipe in its teeth. Then like when it had me, it pushed against the wall with its feet, grabbing higher up the pipe. I heard the screech where its teeth scratched down the pipe but it was gaining altitude. I didn’t want to take the chance that it could reach us, “Damn it. What is this thing?” I stood up as did Jack. We had to get away, quickly. But where? I couldn’t run with this leg, nevermind hop from roof to roof. Down on the ground, we were just as disadvantaged, maybe more so. I looked across the street and noticed they had a flat roof. I grabbed Jack’s arm. It’s not too far. We can make it. My grip tightened on his shoulder as I zapped us across the gap. We had to duck out of sight though. I was hoping I did enough damage that the hound couldn’t smell us. I felt out of breath as we hid. Like I’d just been running again but really it was just because I zapped Jack with me, “Jack” I whispered to him, “You have to get to the bunker. Stay out of sight”

“What about you?”

“I made that thing angry. I’ll give it the runaround” I sounded confident and I clearly looked it since Jack seemed to be considering my offer. Really, my hands were clutching my knife to avoid shaking so much. Hellhounds were horrible enough when they couldn’t climb. This thing was a monster. He gave a sigh,

“So what do I do?”

“Only Lucifer is after you. I’d use public places to hide. The road to the bunker is empty and straight, just run” There was a howl behind us. I looked up, Jack didn’t react,

“What?” He asked, seeing my reaction,

“It’s after me” I looked to Jack, putting my hand on his forehead and willing him as close to the edge of town as I could. At first nothing happened but he disappeared in front of me. I actually passed out, my head swam but the howl made my blood pump again. I opened my eyes and looked up and it was on this roof now. One eyelid was closed, black liquid pouring out below the eyelid, its nose was blocked with black stuff, “Looks like you’ve still got a few senses you can still use” I looked back at the other roof and Lucifer was standing there, staring at me. I climbed up on the edge of the roof, standing sideways so I could see both the hound and Lucifer at the same time. There was another roof, a slanted one this time. It was within climbing distance from where I stood. I hopped up, pulling my body up on the lowest part then crawled up towards the top. Of course the hellhound followed me. I just needed something to hold on to. Once at the top, I looked back to see the huge mouth of teeth. It was more like I was being attacked by a huge black bear. I shoved my foot at the jaws, managing to jam them open with my shoe. My foot slipped out of the shoe and the huge dog slipped down the side of the roof, crashing into the roof of a parked car below. It lay there for a while. I looked over at Lucifer watching from across the street and after seeing the hound fall, he only realised I was alone,

“Where’s Jack?” He called to me. I started crawling again, along the roof towards the other side. I took a breath, exhaustion spilling around me like the blood from my leg. If it weren’t for the adrenaline, I’d have passed out again. If anything I was glad of the tips Jack gave about controlling my wings. The last thing I needed was something extra for the hellhound to bite into. I couldn’t see the hellhound now. I looked over and the car was still dented but the hound was gone. I scanned around me, around the roof. I looked over the other the back of the roof and there it was, stalking me. I stared at its eye before it pounced. I slid down the side of the roof, grabbing the edge when I was about to go over. The hound stood on the roof, looking over as I dangled off it. My only chance was to go down. The hound was up there. I grabbed a windowsill just below me and let myself drop further until I could land on the ground. I landed on my legs first before falling back. I crawled away, heading out onto the street again when I felt a weight land on my back, clamping down on my shoulder. I army crawled on my stomach with this weight, its teeth weren’t just daggers, they were individual torture mechanisms, they all felt rough. The hound shook its head side to side, trying to rip out the chunk in its mouth while huge claws dug into my back. That was a familiar sensation. This one led with its teeth, the others all clawed at me. A pair of shoes appeared in front of me, “Good girl Ramsey” Came a delighted voice. I looked up and there was Lucifer again, “You put up a good fight. I can see why Crowley had such trouble with you” He knelt down in front of me, “Now where is Jack?” I couldn’t even tell him. I have no idea where he ended up. I just hoped he was far enough away. I did nothing but hiss. I couldn’t possibly say something and with my body in shreds, I wasn’t exactly able to be quiet either. It took a while before the claws hit my wings and a nerve just hit. My vision blurred but I could sort of guess what happened. My wings were out when I could see again and I was in a different location. They must have hit the hound off my back and I was sitting in the park now. I took out my phone to find messages, phone calls. I called Dean since he was the most recent,

“Where are you?” He didn’t even pause to greet me,

“Is Jack there?”

“Yeah, he’s here” I heard another howl,

“It’s found me already” I stood on the one good leg. I think by now, everything hurt. I put my wings away so it would be something less to grab. It’s not like I know how to use them. I didn’t realise how fast this hellhound was until I saw it burst from the buildings heading straight towards me. Only the eye glowed and since it was so dark now, that’s all I saw in a dark shadow, “No” I yelped out as it launched at me, only to be standing in the bunker a second later. I dropped my phone and fell to my knees. I was so rushed with relief that I could not stand up. The room smelt of smoke and there was a bowl of ingredients in front of Sam. Someone grabbed me and pulled me close. My mum was close to squishing me to death with how tightly she held. I shivered in her arms as the blade clanged loudly on the floor. I figured it was maybe just dark blood but in the light it was definitely black. While my mum buried her face in my hair, I got to see the rest of the room. Sam was putting the spell away, Dean was staring at the ceiling, arms hanging down with a sigh of relief. I saw Jack come in through the door, pausing as he saw me. I had my arms around my mother, feeling more like I was comforting her than the other way around. I watched him enter and smiled at him; just glad to finally be out of town, “Mum, I can’t breathe” She finally let go and I realised her eyes were looking very wet, like, about to spill over. She blinked, putting on a smile but now I’m wondering who was more scared, me or her.


	20. Chapter 20

I opened my eyes to darkness. It was pitch black but I swear I saw something moving in it. Moving fast. I shot up with a scream. I fell off my bed, backing up into a wall. I don’t know where it is but it’s here somewhere. I didn’t even want to turn the light on in case I saw something. The light came on anyway when my dad came in. He paused at the doorway while I scanned the room for what had moved. Nothing was out of place except for what I bumped into. I sighed. That’s dumb. I feel dumb. It was bad enough when it was just nightmares but now any movement in the corner of my eye warrants fight or flight. I get sick with how much it happens in a day. I sat down on the floor with my head in my hands just shaking my head. There my dad is too, beside me. How often he’s had to check on me. I’d gotten better. I’d stopped sleeping in their bed so often, I didn’t want to go back to it again,

“Grace” He said quietly. I just shook my head,

“I know” I hissed. I don’t even know what I was angry about. I heard more footsteps. Please don’t tell me I woke anyone with that scream. I didn’t look up at them, I don’t want to know,

“Nightmare?” Dean’s voice,

“Yeah” Shut up. I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall,

“I just want to sleep” It came out as a whisper since I didn’t trust my voice. Dad put his hand under my arm, nudging me up. I got up and flopped down on my bed again, staring up at the ceiling. I didn’t turn the light off and I saw my dad take a seat on the bed beside me. He didn’t say much, just kissed me on the forehead as I nodded off again. I fell asleep very quickly since this wasn’t the first time tonight I’ve had trouble. I could have slept for a while but I just kept seeing that hound running for me at such speed every time I tried to sleep. I jumped awake again and it clearly wasn’t that long since my dad was still sitting there with the light on. I sat up again, rubbing my eyes. I just want to sleep, “Ugh” I leaned over my body, my head actually leaned against my dad’s arm,

“Come with me” My dad said,

“No” I shook my head, “I’ll just keep mum up. She’s already worried”

“Your mother’s already up” I just moaned as a response. I don’t even care about talking now. My dad took my arm and pulled me off my bed. I let him until my legs swung free from the blankets then I stood up. Out in the hall, I saw Dean still there too, watching from further away. I had my eyes closed for most of the walk to my parents’ room, I barely opened them when I got in. My mum was still awake, the light was on. She only seemed to relax when I got in and settled into bed. She went into her usual position, arms around me firmly. I was sandwiched in between them as usual. I just heard what was going on around me, I was far too tired to open my eyes for it. I heard a smooch sound above me then another kiss on my forehead before the second warm body climbed in. I fell asleep so quickly I thought I was falling through the bed. I arrived in my dream already in a sense of panic then I heard the howl. I ran in a direction, not even sure where the hound was. I broke free from the buildings and started climbing the nearest tree, hoping the mutt couldn’t climb trees as easily as it could buildings. I looked below me at the growling and it stood there, staring up at me. I closed my eyes, hugging the tree tighter,

“It’s not real. It’s just a dream” I looked down and saw it digging its claws into the wood, slowly climbing up, “No, no” I looked away, burying my face in the tree. The tree I was hugging felt soft and squishy and as the hound got closer, a yellow light blinded me for a couple seconds,

“It’s ok Gracie” I heard a voice just below me, “Just let go, I’ll catch you” I looked down and my mum was directly below me. I let go immediately and fell into her arms and I hugged her close, “Hey, it’s alright. I have you” She smiled warmly at me, “I’ll always catch you” I shook my head and tucked my head under her chin. She sat down on the grass with me, “What’s the matter honey, you’re acting strange”

“It can climb” I whispered. I looked up and saw my dad walk over to me. I could see in his eyes, he wasn’t part of the dream,

“What can climb?” He asked seriously,

“The hound” I closed my eyes, sinking into my mum’s arms, “It wants to kill me” I shook my head now, crying.

I woke up with tears in my eyes. Finally rested enough that I didn’t hate everything but scared. Still scared, I had my arms tight around my dad and the arms around me where also closed tighter than usual. I must have been moving too much in my sleep. I looked up and my dad was awake. I felt a hand in my hair, thumbing slow, smooth strokes in my hair. I relaxed under it. Probably the few times I was relaxed. The bunker was getting more crowded and with more people came more movement. Things happen and I don’t react the way I’d like to. I’d like to just flinch a little at loud noises. Instead I panic at them. Breakfast was usually an easy meal. Everyone is tired in the morning, slow, quiet. Jack is surprisingly awake but he wasn’t running around like a toddler on sugar and he was a quick learner.

I walked by the library on my way back to my room when I heard a noise. I looked around for it but couldn’t find anything that caused it. I could feel the panic rise. I looked up at the door. It was a heavy door, metal. It looks sturdy. Not something a hellhound could get through. Was the bunker warded against hellhounds? I know it is against demons. Can Ramsey get in? I really hope not. I jumped and swiveled around as a voice sounded near me. I wasn’t paying attention to what it said oddly enough, only where it came from. Judging by the questioning look on Sam’s face, he was talking to me,

“Huh?”

“You ok?” He furrowed his eyebrows,

“Yes, fine”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost”

“Says the ghost hunter” I rolled my eyes,

“I’ve seen that look from a few hunters” He looked serious. I hate it when he looks serious. It’s not just a blank face, it’s concern and big puppy eyes,

“I’m just tired” I sighed, wandering back to my room. I felt ill if anything, like my stomach was inside out and that was just because of breathing after eating. I rolled off my bed and slunk into my bathroom, sitting beside the toilet, leaning my head on the sink. It felt cold under my skin but it was because of the heat flushes. I jumped as there was a knock at the bathroom door. It was Jack, “You’re getting better at zapping around. I didn’t even notice you this time”

“Then how did you know I zapped here?”

“My door is locked” Jack came in and sat opposite me on the floor,

“I thought I’d keep you company… and not startle you”

“Good luck with that” I sighed, “I’m jumping at shadows”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my heart’s about to burst from my chest” I closed my eyes,

“How can I help?” I shrugged,

“Don’t think there’s anything you can do. I think it’s too late to address the issue now” Jack tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. Him too? Must be a nephilim thing. I sighed, “It was before you were born I think. I was chased by hellhounds before”

“That’s why you knew what to do” His face seemed to light up in recognition. I nodded, “How were you not scared?”

“I was scared. I am scared” He shook his head, not seeming to understand,

“You’ve been ill” I sighed, sitting up so I could explain better,

“Sometimes that happens when people get scared. Sometimes people get so scared they can’t breathe properly” Jack’s eyes opened a little more, “I’ve been ill because I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep because of nightmares” He looked down at his hands,

“How were you so calm back then? With the hellhound”

“I was terrified” His forehead crinkled,

“I-I didn’t know” I tried to give a smile but he wasn’t looking at me anyway,

“You were scared too. Lucifer was after you. I figured once you were at the bunker, I could just fly in but by the time I got the call and I saw that hellhound running towards me, I couldn’t move”

“I’m sorry”

“Nothing to be sorry for. I sent you away. Besides, you helped Sam with his spell to get me here” He looked up at me now, puppy eyes. He must have been hanging out with Sam a lot,

“But you’re suffering now” I flinched as there was a vibration in my pocket. Jack too seemed to jump a little as his phone went off. I looked down,

“Katie. We were meant to meet her and Hannah today”

“What should we tell them?”

“Just say I’m ill and your father just got out of prison” I raised an eyebrow,

“I don’t feel right lying to them”

“You aren’t lying. You’re just not telling the whole truth. Half truths are better than complete lies”

“Is that another of your rules?” Jack smiled. I thought for a minute,

“Probably. You know I just made those up on the spot right?”

“You numbered them”

“To make you think I knew what I was doing” I smirked, “Number one slot was reserved for the thing I do most which is run” Jack looked down at his phone,

“Should I meet them?” I thought for a minute,

“Your dad is still out there”

“I can zap back in if I need to” I sighed,

“Ok but I can’t join you. Just tell them I’m really ill”

“Ok” And he was gone. I sighed. At least I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up that second so I went back into my room. It was painfully quiet, I could hear all the footsteps that went by my door and I could tell who was who. I picked up my guitar and started strumming just so I wouldn’t have to listen to them. Despite knowing my guitar chords by heart, I was having a hard time playing them. My hands were too shaky, I kept muting the strings by accident. There was another knock on the door, my bedroom one this time. I unlocked it and in came Sam again,

“Hey” He said, “Just wanted to see how you are”

“Fine”

“Dean was saying you were having a hard time sleeping last night”

“I don’t want to talk about it” I picked up my guitar again, testing out my chords again string by string to be able to play at least one successfully,

“Right, well. Just want to let you know we’ve been searching the area and can’t find the hellhound”

“Its there, somewhere” I said as I played one string a lot louder than I meant it, “You can’t even see it” Sam reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of glasses,

“Cleansed in holy fire. Lets us see hellhounds”

“I stabbed it in the eye” I stopped trying to play, “And the nose. And I pushed it off a roof into a car. It will be back for me”

“Then we kill it”

“How are you going to find it? It’s waiting for me and I won’t be bait” He shook his head,

“You won’t be part of this hunt” He reached behind him and pulled out a handheld radio, “But I figured we could still use your voice to lure it out”

“Well, it can’t smell and can barely see” I took the radio off him,

“I know this isn’t going to stop your nightmares. But I hope this could give you a little assurance” I smiled,

“Thanks” I stopped when I remembered the hound, "You've fought hell hounds before?" Sam nodded,

"We have"

"You've not seen this one" I looked up from the radio in my hands, I swallowed in my attempt to talk again. I had to take a breath, "It's bigger. Much bigger. She didn't claw at me like the others did either, she wanted to grab me in her teeth. I think it holds a grudge" Sam put his hand on my shoulder,

"We'll be alright. We're just making sure that you'll be safe" I cleared my throat,

"Don't let it grab you. You won't be able to shake it off and you certainly won't be able to run from it" Sam pulled me close and since he is a massive teddy bear I hugged him back. I like his hugs, they're real warm. Dean hugs like you're a small child whether you are one or if you're even bigger than him.

"Get some good sleep tonight, we'll hunt tomorrow"


	21. Chapter 21

I sat in my bed with my mum sitting beside me. I didn’t think I’d need to have anyone with me but when the pair went out in search of it, it got a little harder to breathe. I was scared for them. I tried to warn them too but they were determined to get rid of it. I cradled the walkie talkie in my hands, not sure if I should call them on it yet. I jumped as a voice crackled through the radio,

“Grace? You there?” It sounded like Sam,

“Yeah, I’m here” I said,

“How’re you doing?” I rolled my eyes at that,

“Says the guy out in the cold night looking for a demonic great dane. I’m rather enjoying my warm blanket and cup of hot chocolate, thanks for asking” I smiled as I heard Dean laughing on the third end of the radio,

“Sounds like a good night” He said. I could hear the smile in his voice, “Whipped cream?”

“And marshmallows”

“Save any for us? Your humble hunters?” I laughed more,

“The day you’re humble is the day hell freezes over” I looked up at a sound down the hall. I looked to mum, “Is that dad?” My mum got up from her seat,

“Cas?” Her voice echoed down the hall. Nothing,

“Everything ok there?” I hear over the radio. The voice was casual but I could detect a hint of concern. I got up too, looking out my door and down the hall,

“Did one of you just come in?” I asked. I didn’t need the radio to know the answer. I heard a growl. I slammed my door shut as soon as I did,

“Grace?”

“I heard it” I pulled out the top drawer of my desk and took the salt there, putting a line in front of the door. The growling appeared at the door as it rattled. My mum stepped back from the door. I took the radio, “It’s here” The pair of us backed away from the door towards my bed, “What do we do?”

“Listen Grace, do you have every entrance covered?” I looked around and noticed there was a vent in my room under my desk. It was small, I didn’t think the hound would even fit in it but as I thought of that, the vent covering flew off and it came running through. I took the knife under my pillow out but it grabbed my leg in its mouth, pulling me off my feet. I dropped it. It started dragging me towards the vent again and I had nothing to hang on to. I tried crawling back, my mother grabbed my hand,

“I can’t see it” She had to shout over the growling, “Grace!” I looked down at my leg that was leaking blood by now to see the hound shaking my leg in its jaws. I started kicking it with my free leg but it wasn’t doing anything. I looked around the floor for the knife and it had slipped under the bed. Just out of reach. And believe me, I tried. If I crawled away from the hound, it would drag me further back. Just as I felt a release on my leg, I looked back up to see the thing launch at my face. I think I screamed, I don’t know what noise I made. All I know is that this rabid dog’s teeth were inches away from my face, being held back but nothing but my spaghetti arms, meanwhile all four paws, armed with their own set of daggers, were digging into my body. Its back paws were standing on my thighs, pinning me down while its front paws were putting its weight on my chest so I could hardly breathe. At least mum knew where it was now. I heard a whimper from it and as I looked up, my mum was pulling the knife out of its back and plunging it back in. It turned to snap at her but she stabbed it again and again and again. It went limp. My mum continued until she couldn’t hear it anymore. I crawled out from under it, straight to her. The floor was slippy with blood and she hugged me close. The pair of us were covered in black inky blood and that was when the Winchesters burst into the room in glasses. I’d complement them on it but I was busy trying to breathe my mum’s arms. I felt burning all over and my heart was about to burst out of my chest.

“You alright?” Dean asked but I was too breathless to reply. I looked at the hellhound on the ground. All my mum could see was the black stains on the floor. I didn’t realise how quiet I went until later on in the night. I’d just come out of the shower and got dressed. My hair just hung down, still wet and I was prodding at the soup mum made for dinner. I don’t know about anyone else but nearly being a hellhound’s lunch really did nothing for my appetite. The kitchen itself was very quiet as my mum informed my dad what had happened that day whilst he was away. I don’t know what’s been going on with him but the angels are very unnerved by a disturbance and now that he’s on their side, they’ve been sending him out looking for it. He came in and sat beside me. Just as he lifted his hand to my forehead, I shook my head,

“You don’t need to” I said, “They closed up in the shower” At least I’ve finally started healing myself. This would have been the third time in a few weeks that he’s had to do it for me, “Any luck in finding it?” Dad took a second to answer because technically I’m not supposed to know about what he’s doing,

“No” He replied, taking his hand away again,

“I overheard you talking to mum” I poked at my soup again, working up the will to swallow a spoonful,

“How did the hellhound get in?” I shrugged,

“Someone left a window open?” I finally started eating, realising it was that or having to talk about hellhounds,

“She speaks” I looked up as Dean entered the room, “You went all quiet on us”

“What did you expect? Ramsey got into my room, a room that was supposed to be safe”

“Ramsey?” Dean raised an eyebrow,

“That’s what Lucifer called it”

“But it’s dead now”

“That’s not the point” I grumbled, looking angrily down at my soup. Why won’t they just take the hint and shut up,

“Your point being?” My dad asked,

“It got in” I hissed, “So can more” Quiet, so I looked up at them. Dean looked surprised, “What? Did you think it was just that one?” My voice raised at that, “Before today, the bunker was the best place to hide from anything and now, a hellhound got in. Now I know this place doesn’t do anything to stop them”

“This place can hide you from them” I stood up from my seat now to be slightly more level with Dean,

“Really?! Seemed to have no problem finding me here” I kicked the table leg, “Very safe!” I stormed off down the hall, back to my room. Being angry meant I wasn’t jumping out of my skin for now. As soon as I slammed my door though, I was reminded again of just how close I was to dying. The hound is gone but the stains are still there. Turns out, hellhound blood seeps in to stone flooring. My stomach twisted. The sudden feeling from hot to cold hit fast and I rushed to the bathroom in time to catch the puke. I took a breath, shuddering and my knees buckled. I fell onto the tile and sat there for a while. There was a knock on the door. I rolled my eyes at it, them again. Why can’t they just leave me alone. My door was open. I didn’t have time to lock it, nor the bathroom so Sam wandered in. I’d flushed the puke away but the smell was still there so he knew. He sat down opposite me,

“I’ve been looking at the bunker’s warding, trying to figure out how it got in” I looked up at him now, “Seems these men of letters didn’t think much about hellhounds”

“This whole time?”

“Yeah. Usually hellhounds go after someone with a contract but then you’re not just anyone” I took a breath, “I was looking through the books, should be patched up now”

“Did you? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better” Sam shook his head,

“I mean it” His gaze dropped for a second. I think he just remembered we were talking on my bathroom floor, “How’ve you been coping?”

“Sleeping a little better” I sighed, “But nothing else is getting better, I thought it was to do with tiredness” Sam shook his head,

“It’s a lot more than that”

“Well what am I supposed to do about it? Unless you’re planning on becoming a therapist, I can’t talk to anyone else about this”

“Dean was dragged to hell by hellhounds before” I tilted my head, “I was killed and he sold his soul to bring me back. He only got a year left”

“How is he here now?”

“Cas raised him from hell. That’s how we first met him and then the whole apocalypse happened” I sighed,

“I’m not like you. I can’t just focus on other things” Sam stood up and filled a glass from the sink,

“We aren’t like that either” He crouched down and handed me the glass, “Dean had nightmares for months after getting out of hell. Sometimes not sleeping at all. I couldn’t sleep when I escaped either” I took a sip from the glass,

“I just don’t know what to do now” I looked up at him now, “What did you do?” He looked down at the floor,

“Well, our methods probably weren’t the most healthy” I caught part of a smile, “It just got us into more trouble”

“Figures” I rolled my eyes, looking back at the glass,

“This may not seem like the idea you want to hear but how about you start hanging out with your friends again” Really? Just like that? I gave him a look, “Yeah I know but you aren’t doing yourself any favours by staying cooped up in here”

“I was nearly a hellhound’s dinner a couple hours ago” Sam didn’t say much more but the silence didn’t hang in the air too long until there was another knock at the door. There was a pause before whoever knocked came in to an empty room,

“Grace?” I heard my dad call out,

“In here” Sam called back. My dad has quite a funny looking confused face when I think about it. His forehead crinkles up like an old newspaper and if it weren’t for the head tilt, it might look like he’s pouting. Sam and I are both sitting on the ground next to the toilet and the smell was still sort of in the air. I noticed my dad had my notepad,

“What have they said now?” I sighed, nodding to the pad in his hand. He looked down at it before coming over,

“That disturbance I’ve been looking for, it seems they know something about it” I took the notepad out of his hands and stood up. I tried to see which one it could be. There is a very malicious one alongside Kaleb and I didn’t want to be tricked by it again. It’s a very precarious thing, like having an angel and demon on your shoulders but you don’t know which is which. I headed out of my bathroom to my desk and took a pen, setting it on the page. Almost immediately I started writing, and writing fast. I could tell this was Kaleb just by how frantic it was. My dad looked over my shoulder at it, narrowing his eyes at the writing,

“That’s got to be Kaleb” I muttered to him. He nodded, “What did he say?”

“‘Don’t let him find the rift’”

“The rift?”

“It’s why the angels are so worked up. If the rift remains open, creatures from both worlds can wander through” I looked back at the page,

“What will you do if you find it? Close it?”

“If I can” My dad nodded,

“So then… who does he not want to find it?”


End file.
